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LIBRARY     OF 

HENRY  £  CLAFLIN 

ABINGTON,      MASS. 


^^(IW>.%\V'^-  ^^4^'^'''^- 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

OF 

GAVIN   HAMILTON 

By 

MOLLY   ELLIOT    SEAWELL 

It 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  ROCK  OF  THE  LION  " 
"A  VIRGINIA  cavalier"  ETC. 

ILLUSTRATED 
BY    H.   C.   EDWARDS 


NEW    YORK    AND    LONDON 

HARPER    &   BROTHERS   PUBLISHERS 

1900 


By  molly  ELLIOT  SEAWELL. 


THE  ROCK  OP  THE  LION.    Illustrated  by  A.  I. 

Kelleb.    Post  8vo,  Cloth,  $1  50 

The  book  is  written  with  much  dash  and  spirit,  as  well 
as  with  painstaking  accuracy.—^.  Y.  Times. 

A  VIRGINIA  CAVALIER.     Illustrated.     Post  8vo, 

Cloth,  $1  50, 

A  Virginia  cavalier  is  the  title  under  which  George 
Washington  as  a  youth  is  presented  to  us.  Some  of  the 
incidents  of  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  are  told  in 
a  picturesque  way,  and  the  spirit  and  manners  of  the 
time  are  well  shown  forth. — Atlantic  Monthly. 


NEW   YORK   AND   LONDON: 
HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS. 


Copyright,  1899,  by  Harper  &  Brothsbb. 


All  right*  rturvtd.    . 


•      •   •     •      • 


NOTE 

In  this  story,  as  in  all  the  other  stories  for  the 
young  written  by  the  author,  few,  or  no  liberties 
have  been  taken  with  history  and  chronology. 

Molly  Elliot  Seawell 


M181749 


ILLUSTKATIONS 


ILLUSTRATED  HALF-TITLE Vll 

"'IT  IS  MY  TURN  NOW  !'  SHOUTED  GAVIN"     .      .   Frontispiece 
GAVIN  THROWS  AWAY  HIS  TROOPER'S  SABRE  .      .     Facing  p.    18 
THE  KING  DRAGGED  GAVIN    OUT  OP  THE  CLOSET  "  46 

HE  DROPPED  SIR  GAVIN  ON  TO  THE  FLOWER-BED 

FIFTEEN  FEET  BELOW "  130 

GAVIN  CARRIES  THE    KING  ACROSS  THE  FLOODED 

GARDEN *•  184 

"  TAKE  CffARGE  OF  THE  PRISONER  UNTIL  I  SEND 

FOR  HIM" "         216 


THE  LIYELY 
ADYENTURES  OF  GAYIN  HAMILTON 


CHAPTER  I 


In  Silesia,  the  autumn  of  1757  was  one  of 
frightful  cold,  of  icy  winds,  of  sunless  days,  and 
freezing  nights.  The  land,  made  desolate  by  the 
contending  armies  of  the  Empress  Queen,  Maria 
Theresa,  and  Frederick  the  Great,  of  Prussia,  suf- 
fered still  more  from  this  bitter  and  premature 
winter.  The  miserable  inhabitants,  many  of 
them  houseless,  died  by  thousands,  of  cold  and 
starvation.  The  wretched  remnant  of  cattle  left 
them  perished;  the  fields  lay  untilled,  the  mills 
were  only  piles  of  charred  ruins,  and  desolation 
brooded  over  the  land.  War  could  add  but  little 
more  to  the  miseries  of  this  unfortunate  region; 
but  Frederick  of  Prussia  and  the  lion-hearted  Em- 
press of  Austria  fought  as  fiercely  as  they  had 
done  sixteen  years  before  when  the  Titanic  com- 

1 


"    WlE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

bat  had  first  begun.  Rosbach  had  been  fought — 
that  terrible  battle  in  which  Frederick  prevailed 
against  the  Austrians,  who  were  assisted  by  the 
soldiers  of  France  and  the  money  of  England. 
The  Austrians  and  French  had,  at  first,  attempted 
an  orderly  retreat;  but  the  piercing  cold,  the  con- 
stant fall  of  snow,  and  the  difficulties  of  subsist- 
ence, had  very  much  interfered  with  this.  Their 
object  was  to  reach  Prince  Charles  of  Lorraine, 
in  northwest  Silesia,  and  many  small  bodies  of 
troops  succeeded  in  maintaining  their  organiza- 
tion until  they  joined  Prince  Charles.  Others 
were  not  so  fortunate;  soldiers  found  themselves 
without  officers,  and  officers  found  themselves 
without  men.  In  this  last  case  was  Captain  St. 
Arnaud,  of  the  French  regiment  of  Dufour,  a 
young  gentleman  who  had  exchanged  his  com- 
mission in  the  King's  Musketeers,  the  most  royal 
of  all  the  royal  guards,  for  a  line  regiment  where 
he  could  see  service.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  this 
decision  on  Captain  St.  Arnaud's  part  surprised 
his  world,  for  he  was  a  curled  darling  among  the 
ladies,  and  the  most  superlative  dandy  in  Paris. 
And,  wonderful  to  say,  he  still  looked  the  super- 
lative dandy  on  the  afternoon  of  the  coldest  day 
he  ever  felt  in  his  life,  amid  the  snowy  wastes 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

of  Silesia,  when,  after  two  weeks  of  starving  and 
running  away  from  the  Prussians,  it  looked  as  if 
the  inevitable  hour  had  come.  There  was,  yet, 
not  a  speck  upon  his  handsome  uniform ;  his  long, 
light  hair  lay  in  curls  upon  his  shoulders — he  had 
admired  his  own  locks  too  much  to  cover  them  up 
with  a  periwig;  and  his  delicate,  handsome  face, 
now  gaunt  and  pale,  was  exquisitely  shaven. 
Clearly,  starving  did  not  agree  with  his  constitu- 
tion. His  whole  life  before  that  campaign  had 
been  spent  in  the  courts  and  camps  of  kings,  and 
he  had  missed  those  hardening  and  fortifying  in- 
fluences which  is  Fate's  rough  way  of  benefiting 
her  favorites.  But  faint  and  weak  and  hopeless 
as  he  seemed,  his  soul  was  still  unconquered,  and 
his  eyes  looked  bravely  around  upon  the  desolate 
waste  before  him.  The  cold,  already  intense,  was 
becoming  severer  every  hour.  St.  Arnaud,  being 
naturally  of  a  reflective  nature,  which  he  hid  under 
a  mask  of  the  utmost  levity,  was  thinking  to  him- 
self, as  he  patted  the  neck  of  his  lean  and  patient 
horse,  ^'  The  whole  social  order  depends  on  the 
mercury  in  the  tube.  At  a  certain  point,  varying 
in  different  races,  all  distinctions  are  abolished. 
If  my  general  were  here  this  moment,  I  would  be 
as  good  as  he ;  for  the  best  man  would  be  he  who 

3 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

could  keep  up  his  circulation  best.  And  if  my 
orderly  were  here — bah !  he  could  only  deprive  me 
of  my  last  chance  of  living  through  this  night  by 
rubbing  down  my  horse  for  me,  which  exercise 
would  keep  my  blood  in  circulation  and  increase 
the  poor  beast's  chances  of  carrying  me  through  to 
the  end."  His  piercing  eyes  had  swept  the  view 
in  front  of  him,  but  he  almost  jumped  out  of  his 
saddle  as  a  voice  at  his  elbow  said :  "  My  Captain  1 
I  salute  you !  " 

Close  behind  him,  on  a  very  good  horse,  sat  a 
young  private  soldier  of  St.  Arnaud's  company. 
St.  Arnaud  at  once  recognized  him ;  he  was  so  tall, 
so  fresh  coloured,  so  well  made  that  he  attracted 
attention  in  the  ranks ;  but  private  soldiers  to  St. 
Arnaud  represented  not  names,  but  numbers.  He 
thought  this  young  fellow  was  472  on  the  regi- 
mental roll,  but  had  no  idea  of  his  name.  He  was 
a  contrast  to  St.  Arnaud  in  every  way ;  for  besides 
being  a  perfect  picture  of  physical  well-being, 
the  young  soldier  was  in  rags.  In  one  the  inner 
man  had  suffered,  in  the  other  the  outer  man. 
Having  spoken,  the  young  man  awaited  speech 
from  his  officer  with  as  much  coolness  as  if  he 
were  on  parade  at  Versailles,  instead  of  being  alone 
with  him  at  nightfall  in  a  frozen  desert. 

4 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  I  recognize  you/'  said  St.  Arnaud,  after  a  mo- 
ment ;  "  where  are  the  others  of  your  company  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  only  man  left,  sir,"  replied  the  sol- 
dier ;  "  as  you  know,  we  were  very  much  cut  up 
that  villainous  day  at  Eosbach;  and  when  you 
were  swept  from  us,  in  that  last  charge,  we  had 
already  lost  half  our  men.  I  don't  know  how  it  was, 
sir ;  certainly  it  was  not  the  fault  of  our  officers '' 
— with  another  salute — "  but  I  believe  ours  was 
the  worst  demoralized  regiment  in  the  French 
forces  after  Eosbach,  and  my  company  was  the 
worst  demoralized  in  the  regiment.  We  had  not 
an  officer  left  above  a  corporal,  but  the  handful 
of  us  could  have  remained  together.  Instead  of 
doing  that,  it  was  sauve  qui  pent  with  all  of  us. 
Note,  sir,  I  do  not  say  we  did  not  fight  like  devils 
at  Eosbach;  but  being  unused  to  defeat,  we  did 
not  know  how  to  take  it.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  it 
is  I  come  to  be  here  alone;  only  I  know  that  I, 
with  twenty  others,  started  out  to  make  our  way 
toward  Prince  Charles,  and  one  by  one  the  men 
dropped  ofP,  until  yesterday  morning,  when,  at 
sunrise,  I  found  myself  alone  where  I  had  biv- 
ouacked the  night  before  with  three  comrades. 
They  had  gone  off  in  the  night,  or  early  in  the 
morning,  to  follow  a  road  I  did  not  believe  would 

5 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

lead  us  where  we  wanted  to  go.  I  came  this  way, 
and  well  it  was  for  me." 

The  young  soldier's  story,  told  jauntily,  pro- 
duced a  singular  effect  on  St.  Arnaud.  He  had 
kept  on  hoping  that,  in  spite  of  the  accident  of 
his  being  separated  from  his  command — an  acci- 
dent caused  by  his  own  impetuosity  carrying  him 
too  far  in  advance  of  his  men — ^he  would  yet  find 
his  own  personal  command  intact.  But  there  was 
no  more  room  for  hope  in  the  face  of  what  was 
before  his  eyes  and  ringing  in  his  ears.  His 
countenance  became  so  pale  with  grief  and  cha- 
grin that  he  seemed  about  to  drop  from  his  sad- 
dle. He  laid  the  reins  on  his  horse's  neck,  and 
raised  both  arms  above  his  head  in  a  gesture  of 
despair,  but  he  said  no  word.  The  soldier,  after 
waiting  vainly  for  a  question  or  an  answer,  spoke 
again. 

"  We  have  no  time  to  lose,  sir ;  we  must  cross 
this  plain  before  night.  I  have  some  forage  here 
and  something  in  my  haversack,  and  if  we  can  get 
a  fire  we  can  live." 

St.  Arnaud,  still  silent,  mechanically  gathered 
up  the  reins  again,  and  the  horse  instinctively 
made  for  a  faint  track  beaten  through  the  snow. 
The  soldier  followed,  ten  paces  behind.     On  they 

6 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

travelled  for  an  hour  or  two.  As  the  sickly  sun 
sank  below  the  fringe  of  dun  clouds  in  the  west 
the  cold  became  more  terrible.  A  fierce  wind  set 
in,  which  drifted  furious  flurries  of  snow  across 
the  vast,  "white  plain;  and  when  the  sky  showed 
black  against  the  white  earth,  neither  man  nor 
horse  could  travel  farther.  There  was  not  a  tree 
or  even  a  bush  in  sight.  They  had  passed  a  few 
dead  horses  on  the  dreary  waste,  but  that  was  the 
only  thing  that  broke  the  ghastly  monotony  of  the 
way.  Now  they  involuntarily  halted,  and  each 
knew  that  from  then  until  sunrise  they  would  be 
fighting  with  the  cold  for  life.  The  thought  came 
back  to  St.  Arnaud,  who  had  scarcely  spoken  a 
word  to  his  companion,  how  calamity  levels  all  dis- 
tinctions. It  would  not  have  surprised  him  in  the 
least  if,  when  he  dismounted,  and  mechanically 
threw  the  reins  to  the  soldier,  to  have  heard  him 
say ;  "  Take  care  of  your  own  horse,  and  I  will 
attend  to  mine."  Instead  of  this,  the  soldier  only 
pointed  to  a  little  hillock  near  by,  and  said :  "  That 
place,  sir,  is  a  little  sheltered  from  the  wind.  It 
will  do  us  good  to  walk  there." 

St.  Arnaud,  whose  faculties  seemed  frozen, 
obeyed  the  soldier.  As  he  was  tramping  through 
the  half  darkness,  his  eyes  blinded  by  the  snow, 

7 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

and  the  icy  blast  nearly  cutting  him  to  pieces,  he 
heard  a  shout  of  joy  behind  him.  The  soldier  had 
suddenly  stumbled  upon  something  which  was 
worth  to  them  at  that  moment  all  the  gold  in  the 
Bank  of  France.  It  was  nothing  less  than  a  broken 
gun-carriage,  of  which  a  few  inches  of  the  wheel 
appeared  above  the  snow.  The  soldier  dashed 
toward  it,  and  tugged  and  pulled  at  it,  shouting 
out  exclamations  of  joy,  as  a  man  will  who  has 
found  that  which  will  give  him  life.  St.  Arnaud 
watched  him  dully  as  he  wrenched  such  of  it  apart 
as  he  could,  and  dragging  it  to  the  sheltered  spot 
under  the  hillock,  where  St.  Arnaud  held  the 
trembling  horses,  scooped  out  a  hole  in  the  snow, 
and  with  a  flint  and  steel  struck  a  flash  of  fire. 

At  first,  the  flame  flickered  tamely;  then,  sud- 
denly, it  burst  into  a  glory  of  light  and  warmth. 
St.  Arnaud  advanced,  still  leading  the  poor  horses, 
who  gazed  at  the  flames  with  an  intelligent  joy, 
almost  human. 

By  that  time  it  was  so  black  overhead  and  so 
white  underfoot,  and  the  swirling  snow  was  so 
whipped  about  by  the  furious  north  wind,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  the  two  men  and  the  two  shivering 
horses  were  alone  in  a  universe  of  cold  and  snow 
and  blackness.     The  young  soldier  first  gave  the 

8 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

horses  the  feed  they  had  carried,  and  melting 
some  snow  in  a  tin  pan  he  carried  in  his  knap- 
sack, gave  them  to  drink.  Then,  washing  out  the 
pan,  he  produced  some  bacon  and  cheese  and 
black  bread.  St.  Arnaud  showed  the  first  sign  of 
interest  so  far,  by  handing  out  his  canteen,  of 
which  one  whiff  caused  the  young  soldier's  wide 
mouth  to  come  open  with  a  grin,  that  showed  the 
whitest  teeth  imaginable.  And  then,  huddling 
under  their  cloaks,  officer  and  soldier  shared  their 
first  meal  together.  That  day  month  St.  Arnaud 
had  been  entertained  by  a  countess  in  one  of  the 
finest  houses  in  Vienna,  and  the  young  soldier  had 
fared  sumptuously  in  the  kitchen  with  the  maids ; 
but  to-night  they  were  supping  together,  and  only 
too  glad  to  sup  at  all.  At  last,  all  the  bacon  and 
cheese  being  devoured,  St.  Arnaud's  spirit  seemed 
to  rouse  from  its  torpor.  He  looked  at  the  sol- 
dier attentively  and  asked: 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  Ameeltone,''  was  the  response. 

St.  Arnaud's  French  ear  did  not  detect  the 
strange  pronunciation  of  the  name,  yet  he  could 
not  quite  make  it  out. 

"  Can  you  spell  it  ? "  he  asked. 

"  Oh,  yes.     H-a-m-i-1-t-o-n — Ameeltone." 
9 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

"  But  that  is  English." 

"  Yes ;  my  name  is  English  all  over.  Gavin  is 
my  first  name '' — and  he  pronounced  it  Garvan. 

"  Have  you  any  English  blood  in  you  ? " 

"  I  have  not  a  drop  of  any  hut  English  blood, 
my  Captain.  My  father,  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton,  is 
an  Englishman;  and  my  mother,  God  bless  her, 
is  Lady  Hamilton." 

"  Then,"  said  St.  Arnaud,  very  naturally, 
^^  what  are  you  doing  as  a  trooper  in  Dufour's 
regiment  ? " 

"  Because,"  replied  Gavin,  taking  up  the  tin  pan 
and  scooping  out  the  last  remnants  of  their  sup- 
per, "my  father  is  a  great  rascal."  And  he 
washed  the  pan  out  with  snow. 

St.  Arnaud,  accustomed  to  the  extreme  filial 
respect  of  the  Erench  for  their  parents,  felt  a  shock 
at  Gavin's  cool  characterization  of  his  father,  and 
said  in  reply; 

"  A  man  sometimes  has  cause  for  resentment 
against  his  father,  but  seldom  calls  him  a  rascal." 

"  True,  my  Captain,"  cheerfully  replied  Gavin, 
"  but  my  father  is  a  terrible  rascal.  He  has  ill- 
used  my  mother,  the  finest  creature  God  ever  made. 
What  do  you  think  of  a  man  with  a  great  fortune 
deserting  his  wife  and  child   in  a  foreign  land 

10 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

and  then  using  all  his  power  to  make  her  admit  she 
is  not  his  wife,  when  he  knows  she  is;  and  when 
he  finds  she  has  a  soul  not  to  be  terrified,  trying 
to  fool  her  into  a  divorce  ?  But  I  tell  you,  my  Cap- 
tain, my  mother  is  a  brave  lady.  She  told  him  and 
wrote  him  that  she  was  his  lawful  wife,  and  that 
she  would  defend  me — I  was  a  little  boy  then — 
that  she  would  have  no  divorce,  lest  it  reflect  on  me, 
and  that  no  one  of  my  rights  would  be  bartered 
away  by  her.  And  at  that  very  time  she  could 
barely  keep  body  and  soul  together  by  giving  les- 
sons in  Paris.  She  is  well  educated,  luckily,  being 
an  English  ofiicer's  daughter.  The  English  laws 
are  hard  on  poor  and  friendless  women,  and  being 
in  France,  too,  my  mother  had  little  chance  to 
prove  her  rights.  She  looked  to  me,  however,  to 
be  able  one  day  to  maintain  all  she  had  claimed; 
and  she  taught  me  carefully,  so  that,  as  she  said, 
when  I  came  to  the  condition  and  estate  of  a  gen- 
tleman, I  might  know  how  to  bear  myself.  She 
did  not  wish  to  go  back  to  England,  where  she  knew 
persecution  awaited  her,  and  brought  me  up  as 
much  an  English  boy  as  she  could  in  France.  The 
only  thing  that  troubled  her  was  my  pronuncia- 
tion— she  always  laughs  when  I  pronounce  my  own 
name.     I  have  an  English  way  of  using  my  fists 

11 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

when  I  am  angry.  She  scolds  me,  but  I  know  her 
brothers  fought  like  that  when  they  were  lads  at 
school." 

^'  How  came  you  to  join  the  army  ?  " 

"  Faith,  sir,  I  had  no  choice.  The  King's  re- 
cruiting officers  came  after  me,  and  I  had  to  go. 
But  I  cannot  say  I  regretted  it,  for  I  could  never 
have  been  anything  else  but  a  soldier,  and  I  have 
a  better  chance  to  rise  in  the  army  than  in  any 
of  the  humble  callings  open  to  me  in  civil  life. 
My  mother  said  it  was  best — that  I  came  of  good 
fighting  stock  on  her  side — her  brothers  were  of- 
ficers, and  as  far  back  as  she  knows  her  ancestors 
they  were  mostly  in  the  army  and  navy." 

The  fire  was  burning  brightly  now;  they  were 
warmed  through,  their  hunger  was  appeased,  and 
so  comfortable  was  their  situation  that  they  were 
both  in  a  mood  to  entertain  and  be  entertained. 
A  fire  in  the  snow  and  a  supper  of  cheese  and 
bacon  meant  luxury  to  St.  Arnaud  now,  who  had 
been  brought  up  in  palaces,  and  he  found  himself 
listening  to  Gavin's  story  with  the  same  interest 
that  the  Arab  in  the  parching  desert  listens  to  the 
story-teller  who  makes  him  forget  all  his  miseries. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  your  father  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Once.  My  father  was  sent  to  the  court  of  the 
12 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Empress  Queen  on  a  diplomatic  mission.  He 
passed  secretly  through  Paris  and  sent  for  me.  I 
went  with  the  sole  idea  that  he  might  do  justice  to 
my  mother.  But  I  might  have  saved  my  shoe 
leather.  However,  what  I  did  that  day  to  my 
father  is  written  to  my  credit  in  heaven's  books, 
for  I  mauled  him  well,  and  I  was  but  eighteen — 
I  am  only  nineteen  now." 

St.  Arnaud  could  not  refrain  from  a  look  of  dis- 
approval, and  Gavin,  noting  it,  asked  at  once,  with 
the  greatest  naivete: 

^'  But  he  spoke  abominably  of  my  mother,  and 
any  man  who  speaks  one  disrespectful  word  of  her 
— he  is  my  enemy,  and  I  am  his.  Would  not  you 
do  the  same  by  your  mother  ? " 

And  St.  Arnaud  involuntarily  answered  "  Yes." 

"  Well,  then,"  continued  Gavin,  rising  to  his 
feet,  "  are  you  surprised  that  I  should  think 
I  did  a  righteous  act  in  flying  at  Sir  Gavin? 
He  is  a  strong,  well-made  man,  though  not 
so  big  as  I  am  now,  and  as  I  took  him  by 
surprise,  I  succeeded  in  knocking  him  off  his 
chair  before  he  had  got  out  half  he  had  meant 
to  say  about  my  mother.  His  valet  came  running 
in  then,  and  Sir  Gavin,  smiling  as  he  wiped  some 
blood  off  his  face,  sent  the  man  away.     Oh,  he 

13 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

was  a  cool  one !  He  smiled  all  the  time  we  were 
together,  and  he  laughed  aloud  when  I  called  my- 
self Gavin  Hamilton. 

"  ^  Garvan  Ameeltone ! '  he  cried,  mocking  me." 
Gavin  was  now  thoroughly  inspired  by  his  own 
eloquence.  He  stood  up  and  put  his  hands  behind 
his  back,  English  fashion,  while  repeating  his 
father's  words  and  mimicking  him  in  an  odd, 
drawling  voice.  St.  Arnaud  fully  believed  in  the 
scene  that  Gavin  not  only  told,  but  acted  before 
him.  Even  the  two  horses,  tethered  close  to  the 
red  circle  of  light,  lifted  their  heads,  attracted  by 
the  ringing  human  voice,  and  seemed  to  be  listen- 
ing attentively  to  the  story  of  Gavin  Hamilton's 
wrongs  and  revenges. 

"  My  father  then,  instead  of  being  angry  with 
me,  seemed  to  like  me  the  better,  and  offered  me 
everything — everything  if  I  would  abandon  my 
mother.  He  would  acknowledge  me  as  his  son, 
according  to  both  the  French  and  English  law,  for 
I  was  born  in  Prance ;  he  would  promise  never  to 
marry  again,  and  I  don't  know  what  else  beside. 
It  was  then  my  turn  to  laugh.  I  said ;  ^  Wait  until 
I  am  twenty-one,  and  then  see  if  I  do  not  prove  I 
am  your  son.  And  as  for  marrying  again,  you 
dare  not  in  my  mother's  lifetime.' 

14 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  There  was  an  hour-glass  in  the  room,  and  Sir 
Gavin  said  to  me :  ^  In  about  twenty  minutes  all 
the  sand  will  have  run  out  of  that  glass.  I  give  you 
until  then  to  accept  my  offer.'  For  answer  I 
smashed  the  hour-glass  on  the  hearth.  It  was  then 
he  spoke  insultingly  of  my  mother,  and  it  was  then 
that  I  think  I  laid  up  treasures  in  heaven  by  the 
way  I  pounded  him.  I  got  several  good  blows  at 
him  before  that  rascal  of  a  valet  came  in  and  pulled 
me  off." 

The  wind  was  howling  so,  and  the  gusts  of  snow 
so  driven  between  them,  that  St.  Arnaud  drew 
close  to  Gavin  to  hear  the  rest  of  the  story.  Gavin, 
who  was  thoroughly  enjoying  the  recital  of  his 
affair,  stopped  long  enough  to  throw  some  of  the 
iron  work  of  the  gun-carriage  into  the  fire,  when 
it  speedily  grew  red  hot,  and  glowed  radiantly, 
adding  materially  to  the  warmth.  He  then  re- 
sumed, in  response  to  the  interest  plain  in  St.  Ar- 
naud's  face: 

"  I  trudged  back  to  our  garret,  where  my  mother 
was  waiting  for  me.  It  was  a  cold  evening,  and 
my  mother  had  a  little  fire  for  me — fuel  is  cruelly 
dear  in  Paris,  isn't  it,  my  Captain  ? — and  she  also 
had  something  for  me  to  eat.  She  let  me  be 
warmed  and  filled  before  asking  me  any  questions, 

15 


T,HE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

for  my  mother  has  that  English  coolness  which 
nothing  seems  able  to  disturb.  When  I  was 
through  eating  I  told  her  about  the  interview.  I 
told  her  all  except  the  words  Sir  Gavin  had  used 
about  her,  but  I  said  they  were  such  as  no  man, 
father  or  no  father,  should  speak  of  her  without 
being  made  to  suffer  all  I  could  make  him  suffer 
for  it.  Then  my  mother  suddenly  burst  into  tears, 
and  taking  my  face  between  her  hands,  kissed  me, 
and  said  some  of  those  sweet  things  that  women 
say  to  those  they  love ;  and  I  replied :  ^  What  mat- 
ters it  about  his  threats  and  promises?  You  are 
his  wife ;  I  am  his  son  and  heir.  Wait  until  I  am 
twenty-one,  and  I  will  go  to  England  and  proclaim 
it  all.  If  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  deals  with  us  think- 
ing he  is  dealing  with  a  helpless  woman  and  a  boy, 
he  will  find  we  are  not  quite  so  helpless  as  he 
fancies  we  are.  The  notion  that  I,  within  three 
years  of  my  majority,  would  make  a  bargain  with 
him !     It  is  absurd ! '  " 

"  Quite  so,"  replied  St.  Arnaud,  "  and  his  anx- 
iety to  make  a  bargain  with  you  shows  that  he 
knows  you  will  have  to  be  reckoned  with." 

Then,  drawing  his  watch  from  his  pocket,  he 
said ;  "  We  must  divide  the  watch  to-night.  I  will 
take  the  first  hour  until  one  in  the  morning.    The 

16 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

fire  will  last  the  night,  and  rubbing  the  horses 
down  will  warm  us  up." 

Gavin  then  discovered  that  St.  Arnaud  meant 
the  distinction  between  officer  and  private  to  be 
overlooked.  They  both  went  to  work  on  their 
horses,  and  for  fifteen  minutes  nothing  more  was 
said.  Gavin  had  a  small  supply  of  forage,  and 
he  noticed  that  St.  Arnaud  had  a  large  haversack 
strapped  to  his  saddle.  Gavin  hoped  that  it  was 
something  to  sustain  life  in  man  or  beast;  but 
presently,  both  having  got  through  with  their 
horses,  St.  Arnaud,  noticing  for  the  first  time 
Gavin^s  tattered  clothes,  said : 

"  You  are  ill-clad  for  such  weather  as  this. 
Yonder  in  my  haversack  is  a  second  uniform,  which 
you  may  have.  You  see,  I  am  not  used  to  run- 
ning away,  and  carried  with  me  clothes,  when  I 
should  have  taken  food." 

Gavin^s  eyes  sparkled.  He  fetched  the  haver- 
sack, and  tore  it  open.  A  change  of  delicate  linen, 
some  toilet  articles,  and  a  handsome  new  uniform 
tumbled  out.  Gavin  was  in  ecstasy  when  he  saw 
the  uniform. 

"  Oh,  my  Captain,"  he  cried,  "  do  you  mean  this 
for  me?  I  have  longed — ^yes,  longed  to  wear  an 
officer's  uniform;  and  I  have  a  presentiment  that 

17 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

if  I  once  take  off  a  private  soldier's  coarse  clothes, 
I  shall  never  again  wear  them." 

And  as  quick  as  lightning  he  slipped  off  his 
rags,  jumped  into  the  uniform,  and  then,  in  the 
excess  of  his  delight,  he  gave  three  loud  and  ear- 
piercing  huzzas,  that  were  half  lost  in  the  tumult 
of  the  wind.  At  the  same  moment  he  threw  his 
own  tattered  clothes  as  far  as  he  could  swing 
them,  the  wind  seizing  and  scattering  them ;  next, 
he  dashed  away  the  dragoon's  sahre  which  he  car- 
ried. 

"  There  you  go,"  he  shouted ;  "  you  never  were 
any  good  as  a  weapon,  and  I  will  replace  you  by  an 
officer's  sword  with  a  gold  handle.  And  meanwhile 
I  will  defend  myself  with  my  horse-pistol !  " 

St.  Arnaud  laughed  until  the  tears  came  into  his 
eyes.  He  had  not  in  a  month  been  so  amused  and 
interested  as  in  this  young  man,  so  strangely 
found,  and  to  whom  he  owed  his  life  by  the  find- 
ing him*  Gavin  looked  a  little  sheepish  at  St.  Ar- 
naud's  laughter,  but  was  compensated  by  his  next 
words. 

^^  You  are  a  fine-looking  fellow,  and  you  have  the 
bearing  of  an  officer.  Why  is  it  I  never  recognized 
you  in  the  regiment  ?  " 

"  I  can't  say.  I  only  know  it  was  not  because 
18 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

I  did  not  want  to  be  recognized.  But  I  knew  yon, 
my  Captain,  and  often  looked  at  you  as  you  stepped 
along  so  elegant,  so  debonair,  with  such  beautiful 
cambric  handkerchiefs,  and  such  small  polished 
boots.  I  heard,  too,  that  your  quarters  were  like 
a  lady's  boudoir,  and  you  had  a  private  wagon  to 
carry  your  clavier  and  viol  da  gamba!  '' 

"  Yes,"  replied  St.  Arnaud,  somewhat  ruefully. 
"  I  shall  know  better  in  my  next  campaign." 

Gavin,  then  rolling  himself  in  his  blanket,  lay 
down  before  the  fire.  By  its  red  light  his  dark, 
upturned  eyes  could  be  seen,  and  they  were  full  of 
hope  and  even  joy.  Defeat  and  disaster  were 
lightly  taken  by  this  young  soldier.  In  a  little 
while,  though,  he  was  sleeping,  with  the  soft,  low 
breathing  of  a  baby. 

Beyond  the  red  circle  of  the  fire  all  was  black- 
ness, and,  except  the  roaring  of  the  wind,  all  was 
silence.  A  few  stars  flickered  dimly  in  the  cold 
heavens  above  them,  but  they  were  often  obscured 
by  the  flurries  of  snow.  St.  Arnaud  sat  still  in 
front  of  the  fire,  for  it  was  not  yet  necessary  to 
walk  up  and  down  to  keep  alive.  His  face  was 
pale  and  impassive,  and  he  was  still  suffering  from 
the  shock  of  flight  and  defeat.  It  seemed  to  him 
as  if  a  hundred  years  separated  him  from  the  year 

19 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

before,  or  even  the  month  before.  The  hours 
dragged  by  toward  midnight.  Every  moment  it 
grew  colder,  but  the  fire  still  lasted.  At  last,  at 
one  o'clock,  St.  Arnaud  waked  Gavin,  who  rose 
instantly.  St.  Arnaud  showed  him  a  pocket  ther- 
mometer, with  the  mercury  down  to  zero. 

"  That's  nothing,"  cried  Gavin  jauntily.  "  I 
will  throw  some  of  the  iron  of  the  gim-carriage  on 
the  fire,  and  if  I  see  you  freezing,  I  will  wake  you 
up,  never  fear." 

St.  Arnaud  lay  down  and,  covered  with  Gavin's 
blanket,  soon  fell  asleep.  Gavin  watched  him  all 
the  time,  thinking : 

"  Some  men  in  my  place  would  think  themselves 
unfortunate  at  this  moment.  I  don't.  This  is  my 
first  real  stroke  of  fortune.  I  have  an  officer's 
uniform — parhleu!  what  may  I  not  expect  in  the 
way  of  good  luck !  " 

Absorbed  in  a  delicious  dream  of  the  future,  the 
rest  of  the  night  seemed  short  to  Gavin.  A  ghastly 
half  light  succeeded  the  darkness ;  and  then  all  at 
once  a  pale  rose  colour  appeared  in  the  eastern  sky, 
and  a  faint  golden  haze  overspread  the  snow-cov- 
ered earth.  The  distant  mountains  glowed  in  an 
opaline  light — it  was  the  dawn  of  a  cloudless  win- 
ter day. 

20 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Gavin,  however,  beyond  the  thrill  which  morn- 
ing brings  to  men  of  his  youth  and  type,  noticed 
nothing,  being  occupied  with  the  horses,  and  with 
the  preparation  of  the  last  of  his  cheese  and  bacon 
in  the  tin  pan.  When  it  was  ready  he  waked  St. 
Arnaud,  who  was  sleeping  soundly. 

"  Come,  my  Captain,"  he  called  out.  "  We  are 
both  alive.  There  is  something  to  eat.  The 
weather  is  fair,  and  the  sun  is  rising.  And  faith ! 
I  feel  as  if  I  would  like  to  right  about  face  and 
go  back  to  fighting  those  confounded  Prussians 
again." 

St.  Arnaud  got  up  instantly.  In  fifteen  minutes 
they  had  finished  all  they  had  to  eat,  had  mounted, 
and  were  travelling  along  the  faint  track  in  the 
snow  which  indicated  the  highroad.  As  they 
turned  their  horses'  heads,  St.  Arnaud  said  to 
Gavin : 

"  Ride  by  me."  And  Gavin,  without  the  least 
impertinence,  replied  firmly: 

"  I  meant  to.  No  man  in  an  officer's  uniform 
rides  behind  his  captain." 


CHAPTER  II 

St.  Aenaud  and  Gavin  travelled  all  that  day 
through  a  scene  of  desolation,  but  the  sun  shone, 
and  they  were  approaching  a  part  of  the  country 
where  at  least  food  could  be  had,  and  their  circum- 
stances seemed  so  much  improved,  that  all  at  once 
the  world  took  on  an  altogether  different  aspect. 
ISTo  man  could  long  endure,  and  live,  the  hideous 
depression  from  which  St.  Arnaud  had  suffered 
since  Eosbach;  and  when  his  soul  made  a  final 
rally,  it  was  to  perch  upon  heights  of  hope  and 
joy.  He  felt  sure  they  would  beat  Frederick  of 
Prussia,  and  one  short  month  would  see  a  revival 
of  the  fortunes  of  the  Empress  Queen.  He  so  ex- 
pressed himself  to  Gavin,  who  had  never  suffered 
any  depression  whatever.  And  each  found  a  source 
of  vivid  interest  in  the  other's  personality.  St. 
Arnaud  had  never  met  a  man  in  the  least  like  this 
young  French-Englishman,  and  the  story  of  the 
mother,  the  woman  Avho  was  Lady  Hamilton  by 
right,  starving  and  freezing  with  her.  child,  but 

22 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

always  working  in  her  miserable  attic  in  a  great 
foreign  city,  was  moving  to  him.  He  saw  that  the 
son  of  such  a  mother  would  be  of  tough  fibre.  As 
for  Gavin,  St.  Arnaud's  beauty,  grace,  and  superior 
knowledge  of  the  world  were  so  captivating,  that 
the  riding  by  his  side  in  an  officer's  uniform,  was 
an  intoxicating  pleasure. 

"  Often,"  thought  Gavin  to  himself,  looking 
sidewise  at  St.  Arnaud's  clear  and  handsome  pro- 
file, "  have  I  watched  you  at  parade,  and  longed — 
oh,  how  I  have  longed — to  be  on  equal  terms  with 
you.  I  shall  be  yet,  because  I  am  resolved,  if  a 
man  has  any  share  in  his  own  destiny,  to  be  one 
day  a  sublieutenant;  and  then — pouf !  the  rest  is 
easy."  He  would  have  dearly  liked  to  ask  St. 
Arnaud  questions,  but  he  remembered  that,  al- 
though they  rode  side  by  side,  he  was  still  a  private 
soldier.  St.  Arnaud,  however,  took  the  privilege 
of  an  officer,  and  questioned  Gavin  freely. 

"  Can  you  read  and  write  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Like  a  notary,"  replied  Gavin  promptly. 
"  My  mother  took  good  care  to  give  me  an  excel- 
lent English  education  herself,  and  she  was  well 
qualified,  too.  Often  has  she  taught  me  out  of 
her  head  when  she  would  be  working  at  her  needle 
for  a  living,  for  to  that  has  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton 

23 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

reduced  my  motHer ;  and  lie  wanted  me  to  go  home 
and  live  with  him — may  the  devil  take  him  now 
and  forever!  My  mother  taught  me  also  a  little 
Latin,  a  little  Spanish,  and  I  myself  learned  a  good 
deal  of  German  from  those  Austrian  allies  of 
ours." 

"  You  far  excel  me,"  responded  St.  Arnaud, 
"  and  yet  I  had  the  best  teachers  in  France." 

At  which  Gavin  replied  proudly :  "  I  can  ask  for 
wine  in  four  languages." 

"  I  only  wish  you  had  a  chance  to  ask  for  it  in 
one — to  make  signs,  for  that  matter." 

They  rode  on  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  when 
Gavin  spoke  again. 

"  My  Captain,"  he  said  in  a  coaxing  voice,  "  I 
have  something  to  ask  of  you — a  favour — such  a 
favour  as  a  man  asks  but  once  in  a  lifetime." 

"  Considering  that  my  meeting  you  last  night 
saved  my  life,  I  should  feel  a  little  awkward  in 
refusing  you  anything  I  could  grant." 

"  It  is  this,  then.  You  see,  I  have  on  this  uni- 
form. As  long  as  I  wear  it  the  world  thinks  me 
an  officer.  Let  me  wear  it,  and  let  me  dream 
myself  a  lieutenant  until  we  reach  tbe  army  of 
Prince  Charles!  Our  regiment  is  scattered;  it 
may  never  be  reorganized ;  and  as  soon  as  we  join 

24 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Prince  Charles  there  will  be  fighting,  and  what 
glorious  chances  has  a  soldier  then !  Give  me  but 
one  chance  under  fire,  and  I  promise  you  I  will 
come  out  of  it  so  that  I  will  be  made  an  officer  in 
truth." 

St.  Arnaud  stopped,  amazed  at  Gavin's  pre- 
sumption; but  one  look  at  his  face,  his  eyes  glow- 
ing with  furious  entreaty,  checked  the  peremptory 
refusal  upon  his  lips.    Instead  he  said : 

"  You  will  be  discovered." 

"  Certainly ;  but  a  general  who  discovers  a  pri- 
vate soldier,  by  birth  a  gentleman,  who  is  known 
to  be  brave  and  loyal — for  that  I  am,  and  challenge 
any  man  to  say  nay — wishing  and  deserving  to  be 
an  officer,  will  make  him  one.  The  French  army  is 
not  like  the  Austrian,  or  even  these  pigs  of  Prus- 
sians." 

"You  will  discover  yourself — ^betray  yourself,  in 
short,  in  whatever  society  you  find  yourself.  No 
one  will  take  you  for  an  officer." 

"  I  think  I  told  you  I  was  the  son  of  Lady  Ham- 
ilton," responded  Gavin  coldly. 

St.  Arnaud  hesitated  for  a  moment  or  two ;  then, 
with  a  brilliant  smile,  holding  out  his  hand  to 
Gavin,  he  said: 

"  Every  word  I  have  spoken  was  against  the 
35 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

impulse  of  my  heart.  You  are  an  officer  now,  as 
far  as  I  can  make  you;  and  trust  me,  when  we 
reach  Prince  Charles,  he  shall  hear  your  story 
first  from  me." 

Gavin,  who  was  usually  glib  of  speech,  became 
silent  under  the  influence  of  strong  emotion.  He 
only  held  St.  Arnaud's  hand  in  a  grip  that  was 
like  steel.     Presently  releasing  it,  he  said: 

"  My  life  is  yours — I  have  nothing  more  now  to 
offer."  Then,  suddenly  recovering  himself,  he 
cried  joyfully :  "  Oh,  that  my  mother  could  see  me 
now !  It  fretted  her  proud  soul  to  see  me  a  private 
soldier,  but  she  said  no  word.  And  if  I  only  re- 
member all  she  told  me,  I  will  prove  myself  a 
gentleman.  She  was,  as  I  told  you  last  night, 
always  preparing  me  for  something  higher.  She 
made  me  learn  English  table  manners  even  when 
we  had  precious  little  to  eat.  And  wash !  Those 
English  are  mad  about  soap  and  water.  My 
mother  has  washed  me  when  I  was  a  little  lad 
until  I  shrieked  for  mercy ;  but  scrub,  wash,  wash, 
scrub,  every  day,  and  twice  a  day.  Illness,  cold, 
nothing  excused  me  from  that  infernal  tub.  But 
at  last  I  got  to  like  it ;  and  now  I  like  cold  water 
as  well  as  any  whale  that  swims  the  Arctic  seas. 
Here  is  the  proof." 

26 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Gavin  produced  with  great  pride  a  small,  round 
lump  tied  with  strings,  and  on  the  strings  being 
cut,  it  expanded  into  a  huge  sponge. 

"  And  this — and  this — and  this — "  he  added, 
handing  out  some  coarse  soap,  a  comb,  and  a  razor. 

For  reply,  St.  Arnaud  produced  not  only  a 
sponge,  but  a  small  towel,  a  cake  of  scented  soap, 
a  silver  comb,  and  a  pearl-handled  razor.  Gavin^a 
eyes  gleamed.  "  These  will  I  have  when  I  am  an 
officer !  "  he  cried. 

They  resumed  their  way.  The  joy  that  shone  in 
Gavin's  face  was  contagious.  St.  Arnaud  smiled 
at  the  thought  that  a  suit  of  clothes  and  the  hope 
of  a  sublieutenancy  could  give  so  much  happiness 
to  any  one ;  but  he  did  not  know  that  it  meant  all 
which  the  young  soldier  coveted  in  life. 

That  day  they  entered  a  tract  of  country  where 
an  occasional  house  still  stood;  and  they  even 
found  an  inn,  soon  after  midday,  where  they  got 
a  coarse  but  abundant  meal.  After  that  the  aspect 
of  the  country  steadily  improved,  and  in  the  early 
winter  dusk  they  found  themselves  approaching 
a  comfortable  country  mansion  with  pleasure 
grounds  around  it.  The  windows  were  tightly 
barred,  but  smoke  was  pouring  from  one  of  the 
chimneys. 

27 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  'Now,  my  young  sublieutenant/'  cried  St.  Ar- 
naud,  laughing,  "  we  will  find  gentlepeople  in  this 
pleasant  bivouac;  and,  remember,  you  are  an  of- 
ficer. Don't  call  me  '  my  Captain,'  and  whatever 
you  do,  don't  show  any  subservience  to  me.  Con- 
tradict me  occasionally,  and  when  I  say  it  is  a  cer- 
tain time  by  my  watch,  say  my  watch  is  fast  or 
slow — anything  to  show  we  are  on  an  equality." 

"  I  will  remember,"  answered  Gavin  gravely. 

Dismounting  before  the  door,  Gavin  began  a  rat- 
tat-tat  which  sounded  like  an  earthquake.  There 
was  no  response,  and  after  banging  at  the  door 
for  five  minutes  he  walked  around  the  corner  of 
the  house.  There  was  a  door  leading  into  the 
kitchen  quarters,  but  it,  too,  was  closely  fastened. 
The  cold  was  becoming  intense,  and  Gavin  was 
about  to  return  to  St.  Arnaud  and  discuss  the  pro- 
priety of  breaking  a  window,  when  a  man-servant 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  lie  did  not  observe  Gav- 
in in  the  half  darkness,  and,  on  hearing  the  heavy 
clump  of  the  rustic's  shoes,  the  kitchen  door  opened 
an  inch  or  two,  and  a  maid,  with  a  foolish,  fright- 
ened face,  whispered : 

"  Get  the  other  one  to  help  you  with  the  wood- 
basket;  we  must  have  the  wood  in  the  house  at 
once.     But  be  quiet  about  it,  for  there  has  been 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

a  great  pounding  at  the  front  door,  and  we  don't 
wish  to  let  any  one  in." 

Gavin  then  noticed  a  great,  two-handled  basket 
piled  with  wood  such  as  the  huge  stoves  of  the 
region  required.  The  man  went  off  to  get  help 
in  lifting  it,  and  an  idea  jumped  into  Gavin's 
mind.  "  Pll  get  in  the  house  and  open  the  door 
for  St.  Arnaud,"  thought  he;  and  as  soon  as  the 
man's  hack  was  turned  he  went  to  the  basket, 
softly  removed  some  of  the  wood,  crawled  in,  and, 
artistically  arranging  a  few  sticks  so  as  to  conceal 
himself,  waited  some  minutes.  Then  the  servant, 
with  another  one,  approached;  a  stout  pole  was 
run  between  the  two  handles,  and  the  basket,  with 
Gavin  and  the  logs,  was  picked  up,  carried  through 
the  kitchen,  then  into  a  long  corridor,  and  finally 
to  the  main  entrance  hall,  where  there  was  a  vast 
porcelain  stove.  At  that  moment  Gavin  heard  a 
light  step  descending  the  stairs,  and  an  exquisitely 
sweet  voice  say : 

"  How  can  you  let  those  poor  creatures  outside 
suffer  in  this  cold  ?  I  order  you  to  open  the  door 
immediately." 

"  But,  madame,"  said  the  maid,  who  had  fol- 
lowed, "  we  had  express  orders  from  the  master 
and  mistress  to  let  no  one  in." 

29 


THE  UVELY  ADVENTUKES 

At  this  moment  the  basket  was  let  down,  and  in 
another  instant  Gavin,  having  disengaged  himself 
with  quiet  dexterity  from  the  wood,  stepped  out 
of  the  basket,  and  making  his  best  bow,  said  in 
his  best  German :  "  Madame,  I  will  obey  your 
orders,  if  these  louts  will  not,''  and  running  to  the 
door,  drew  the  bolt,  and  in  walked  Captain  St. 
Arnaud. 

The  two  men-servants  gaped  in  grotesque  horror 
at  the  load  they  had  brought  in;  the  maid  began 
to  scream  violently ;  only  the  lady  retained  her  self- 
possession. 

"  To  whom  am  I  indebted,''  she  asked  of  Gavin 
with  perfect  composure,  "  for  carrying  out  my  or- 
ders with  such  unexpected  promptness  ?  " 

"  To  Sublieutenant  Gavin  Hamilton,  of  Du- 
four's  regiment  of  dragoons,  in  the  service  of  His 
Majesty  of  France,"  replied  Gavin  with  equal  cool- 
ness, saying  to  himself  meanwhile,  "  Aha !  St.  Ar- 
naud will  see  that  I  have  the  composure  of  a  gen- 
tleman." Then  he  said,  "  Permit  me,  madame,  to 
present  Captain  St.  Arnaud  of  my  regiment." 

St.  Arnaud  bowed  with  the  utmost  gravity,  al- 
though immensely  tickled  at  Gavin,  and  the  three 
gentlepeople  stood  entirely  at  ease,  while  the  three 
servants  were  completely  disconcerted. 

30 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  I  am  Madame  Ziska,"  said  the  lady  of  the 
charming  voice,  speaking  in  French.  "  I  am  run- 
ning away  from  the  Prussians  toward  Vienna. 
This  house  belongs  to  acquaintances  of  mine,  who 
have  left  it.  The  servants  in  charge,  knowing  me, 
gave  me  permission  to  remain  the  night  here ;  and 
although  I  had  no  authority  to  let  any  one  else  in, 
I  certainly  should  have  opened  the  door  had  not 
Lieutenant  Hamilton  done  so  for  me." 

Neither  cold  nor  hunger  nor  flight  had  dulled 
either  St.  Arnaud's  or  Gavin's  appreciation  of 
beauty  and,charm.  There  was  no  great  beauty  in 
Madame  Ziska,  but  an  exquisite  grace  of  bearing, 
a  face  full  of  expression,  and  a  beautiful  figure. 
She  was  one  of  those  women  whose  age  it  was  im- 
possible to  tell.  She  was,  in  truth,  thirty,  but  she 
might  have  been  twenty-five  or  thirty-five.  Nor 
was  her  nationality  apparent  either  in  her  appear- 
ance or  her  language,  for  her  French  was  immacu- 
late; and  neither  St.  Arnaud  nor  Gavin  Hamilton 
knew  enough  of  the  German  language  to  judge  of 
how  she  spoke  it  when  she  addressed  the  servants. 
St.  Arnaud  thought  first  of  the  poor  beasts  outside, 
and  said  to  the  men-servants ;  "  Have  our  horses 
attended  to  at  once,  and  look  for  either  money  or 
kicks,  according  to  how  you  do  it." 

31 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

The  two  men  disappeared,  and  the  maid,  appar- 
ently profiting  by  the  suggestion  of  money,  said 
very  respectfully : 

"  Supper  is  not  yet  ready,  madame ;  and  I  will 
add  something  for  these  gentlemen,"  and  disap- 
peared. 

Madame  Ziska  then  led  the  \vay  to  a  small  sit- 
ting-room, where  a  stove  glowed,  candles  gleamed, 
and  a  table  was  set  with  linen  and  plate.  She 
seated  herself  before  the  stove,  and  not  until  then 
did  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  proceed  to  warm  their 
chilled  bodies.  St.  Arnaud  watched  Gavin  closely, 
but  with  amusement,  as  if  he  were  assisting  at  the 
first  production  of  a  new  comedy,  when  he  saw 
this  young  private  soldier  of  nineteen  masque- 
rading as  a  gentleman.  Gavin  himself  saw  the  joko, 
and  St.  Arnaud  could  not  refrain  from  bursting 
out  laughing  when  Gavin,  surveying  himself  coolly 
in  a  mirror  on  the  w^all,  remarked : 

"  Madame,  I  am  indebted  to  my  brother  officer 
for  these  clothes — it  is  quite  a  story — and,  sacre! 
I  hardly  know  myself  in  this  rig." 

"  But,"  thought  St.  Arnaud,  "  wait  until  sup- 
per is  served.  The  table  is  a  place  to  tell  a  man's 
up-bringing." 

The  door  opened,  and  the  servants  entered, 
32 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

bringing  with  them  a  very  good  supper.  Gavin 
rose  instantly,  and  forestalled  St.  Arnaud  in  plac- 
ing a  chair  for  Madame  Ziska,  at  which  the  cap- 
tain's heretofore  smiling  face  assumed  a  scowl. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  learning  a  lesson  too  well 
and  too  promptly.  They  seated  themselves,  and 
a  very  jolly  supper  party  they  made.  Madame 
Ziska's  conversation  proved  as  charming  as  her 
appearance.  She  talked  with  the  utmost  ease  and 
apparent  frankness,  but  of  her  own  condition  in 
life  she  said  not  a  word.  Yet,  there  was  some- 
thing convincingly  honest  about  her;  and  St.  Ar- 
naud, who  knew  the  world  thoroughly,  felt  as  much 
confidence  in  her  as  did  the  unsophisticated  Gavin. 
He  shrewdly  suspected  her  to  be  a  professional 
artist  of  some  description,  who  possessed,  by  some 
chance,  a  higher  degree  of  education  and  breeding 
than  was  usual  in  those  times.  He  treated  her, 
however,  as  if  she  had  been  a  princess  in  her  own 
right,  and  Madame  Ziska  accepted  it  with  perfect 
dignity,  as  her  just  due. 

Gavin  had  never  before  sat  at  table  with  an  of- 
ficer, and  he  watched  St.  Arnaud  quite  as  closely  as 
St.  Arnaud  watched  him.  He  carried  off  his  part 
wonderfully  well,  but  it  was  not  quite  perfection. 
He  laughed  and  talked  too  much,  airing  his  senti- 

33 
3 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

ments  in  the  four  languages  he  claimed  to  know, 
which,  except  English  and  French,  he  spoke  very 
ungrammatically.  St.  Arnaud,  pleasant  but  criti- 
cal, noticed  all,  while  Madame  Ziska's  sweet,  in- 
scrutable smile  revealed  nothing.  There  was  a 
harpsichord  in  the  room,  and  as  soon  as  they  had 
finished  supper  St.  Arnaud  jumped  up  and,  open- 
ing it,  burst  into  a  sentimental  song,  accompanying 
himself  brilliantly.  This  was  too  much  for  Gavin, 
who  was  so  charmed  that  he  altogether  forgot  the 
part  he  was  playing,  and  also  the  training  his 
mother  had  given  him,  and  acted  as  he  would  at  a 
bivouac  when  a  comrade  sang  a  good  song.  In  the 
excess  of  his  enjoyment  he  sat  down  on  the  ilo6r, 
close  to  the  glowing  stove,  and  after  a  while  estab- 
lished himself  comfortably  at  full  length,  his  head 
jesting  on  his  elbows,  which  he  dug  into  the  carpet. 
St.  Arnaud  saw  it  all  out  of  the  tail  of  his  eye,  until 
Gavin,  suddenly  catching  St.  Arnaud's  amused 
glance  fixed  on  him,  jumped  up,  red  and  embar- 
rassed. 

"  That  is  for  not  remembering  what  my  mother 
told  me,"  he  thought,  with  the  deepest  vexation. 
"  However,"  he  reflected  again,  "  I  shall  soon  over- 
come the  demoralization  of  camp  manners  in  com- 
pany like  this,"  and  he  demurely  seated  himself  on 

34 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

a  sofa.  The  song  closed  in  a  beautiful  cadenza, 
but  it  was  drowned  in  a  tremendous  tramping  of 
hoofs,  and  the  maid-servants  rushed  in,  bawling: 

"  The  Prussians !     The  Prussians !  " 

St.  Arnaud^s  and  Gavin's  first  sensation  was  one 
of  stupid  surprise.  They  had  not  thought  a  Prus- 
sian to  be  within  fifty  miles.  Madame  Ziska, 
however,  showed  not  an  instant's  discomposure.  She 
at  once  opened  the  door  of  a  closet  in  the  room,  say- 
ing, ^^  It  is  strategy,  not  rashness,  which  is  wanted 
now ;  "  and  almost  pushing  them  in,  she  took  the 
key  out  of  the  lock,  and  passed  it  to  them  in  the 
inside.  Then,  seating  herself  nonchalantly,  she 
trimmed  the  candles  and  took  up  a  book  to  read. 

It  was  so  quickly  done  that  neither  St.  Arnaud 
nor  Gavin  had  a  connected  thought  until  they 
found  themselves  in  the  closet,  nor  could  they  recall 
which  one  locked  the  door.  They  gazed  stupidly 
at  each  other  in  the  half  light  which  filtered 
through  the  glass  doors  lined  with  green  silk;  and 
then  they  found  that,  although  concealed  from 
sight  themselves,  they  could  yet  see  any  one  in  the 
room  through  little  holes  in  the  moth-eaten  silk 
behind  the  glass. 

The  sound  of  many  feet  entering  the  house  was 
now  heard,  and  in  a  moment  more  the  door  was 

35 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

opened,  and  a  Prussian  officer  ushered  in,  a  short, 
slender  man,  v/earing  a  shabby  surtout  and  nonde- 
script uniform.  Several  other  officers  followed  ;  but 
from  the  moment  the  short,  slender  man  entered, 
neither  one  of  the  prisoners  in  the  closet,  nor  had 
Madame  Ziska,  eyes  for  any  one  but  him. 

His  face  was  wan  and  weather-beaten,  his  nose 
high  and  prominent,  and  his  brow  and  mouth 
rather  impleasing.  But  his  gray-blue  eyes  re- 
deemed an  otherwise  sinister  face.  They  were  ex- 
quisitely clear,  soft  yet  sparkling,  and  their  mild 
expression  flatly  contradicted  the  hardness  and 
even  cruelty  of  his  other  features. 

He  advanced  to  the  stove,  slightly  and  negli- 
gently saluting  Madame  Ziska,  who  rose  and  bowed. 
As  he  addressed  no  word  to  her,  after  standing  a 
moment  she  quietly  reseated  herself.  The  other 
officers  remained  standing,  and  a  shiver  seemed  to 
run  through  them  at  Madame  Ziska's  action.  The 
man  in  the  nondescript  uniform  noticed  it,  and 
smiled  faintly.  He  sat  down,  warmed  his  hands  at 
the  stove,  while  the  officers  stood  rigidly  at  atten- 
tion. Madame  Ziska  read  diligently,  and  St.  Ar- 
naud  and  Gavin  in  the  closet  scarcely  dared  to 
breathe. 

After  &ve  minutes  of  this  the  shabbv  man  looked 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

around  him,  made  a  slight  motion  with  his  hand, 
and  every  officer,  saluting,  filed  out  of  the  door, 
and  he  was  left  alone  with  Madame  Ziska. 

Madame  Ziska  continued  to  read.  Presently  the 
strange  personage  spoke  to  her  in  French,  and  in 
the  clearest  and  sweetest  voice  imaginable. 

"  You  have  a  great  deal  of  sang  froid,  madame." 

"  One  needs  it  in  this  bustling  world,"  replied 
Madame  Ziska  calmly,  withdrawing  her  eyes  for 
a  moment  from  her  book. 

'^  Ahem !  "  A  pause.  "  Your  French  is  very 
good." 

"  So  is  yours,  monsieur." 

"  It  is  the  only  language,  after  all." 

"  You  must  be  well  up  in  the  graces  of  His 
Majesty,  the  King  of  Prussia,  who  loves  everything 
French,  although  he  fights  France." 

"  Well,  yes.  You  think  me  a  major,  or  a  colonel, 
perhaps,  in  the  King's  body-guard." 

"  Majors  and  colonels  do  not  have  the  staff  that 
came  with  you  into  this  room  just  now.  You  are 
a  general  at  least." 

"N-o.    Higher." 

"A  field-marshal?" 

"  Higher  still." 

"  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia  ?  " 
37 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

"  Prince  Henry  rises  when  I  speak  to  him." 
Madame  Ziska  rose  and  made  him  a  profound 
courtesy. 

"  Sire,  you  are  the  King  of  Prussia." 


CHAPTER  III 

At  the  announcement  that  the  shabby  man  with 
the  sparkling  and  speaking  eyes  and  the  soft  and 
melodious  voice  was  Frederick  of  Prussia,  the 
greatest  captain  of  the  age,  the  two  men  concealed 
in  the  closet  grew  rigid  with  astonishment.  They 
did  not  need  his  careless,  but  confirmatory  nod  to 
be  convinced  of  his  identity ;  but  when  he  spoke  it 
was  to  say: 

"  Yes,  I  am  the  King  of  Prussia.  A  great  many 
people  know  me  by  sight — more  do  not.  You  are 
evidently  one  of  the  latter  class." 

Madame  Ziska  remained  standing  respectfully, 
and  answered  Frederick's  last  speech  by  saying: 

"  Your  Majesty  will  not  think  me  a  flatterer 
when  I  say  I  knew  from  the  moment  you  entered 
this  room  that  you  were  no  ordinary  man." 

"  And  I  knew,"  said  Frederick,  with  a  faint 
smile,  which  transfigured  his  whole  face,  "  that  you 
were  no  ordinary  woman  when  you  faced  half  a 
dozen  strange  men  as  you  did.     I  should  like  to 

39 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

have  a  regiment  of  men  as  cool  as  you  are.  How 
tliey  would  stand  fire !  Pray  be  seated.  War  is  a 
tiresome  business,"  be  continued,  after  Madame 
Ziska  bad  resumed  ber  cbair.  "  But  it  is  my 
trade,  and  a  man  must  work  at  bis  trade.  How- 
ever, I  like  my  tools — ^my  soldiers."  Tben,  throw- 
ing bimself  back  in  bis  cbair,  be  kept  on,  as  if 
merely  thinking  aloud.  "I  am  like  the  bourgeois — 
of  whom  I  have  no  great  opinion — ^I  am  absorbed  in 
my  trade.  Time  was  when  I  had  tastes ;  now  'tis 
nothing  but  whether  I  can  beat  Prince  Charles  as 
I  did  Marshal  Soubise  the  other  day.  I  like  the 
work  less  as  time  goes  on ;  but  I  like  other  things 
less  still." 

"  You  still  like  music,  your  Majesty." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  " 

Madame  Ziska  rose,  and  stepping  lightly  up  to 
him,  with  the  utmost  grace  and  quickness  drew 
the  pieces  of  a  flute  out  of  the  pocket  of  bis  surtout, 
and  deftly  screwed  them  together,  evidently  know- 
ing all  about  it.  Then,  putting  the  flute  to  her  rosy 
lips,  she  played  a  little  French  air,  to  which  Fred- 
erick listened  enraptured. 

"  Ah !  "  he  cried ;  "  that  carries  me  back  to  my 
peaceful  days  at  Ruppin,  when  my  flute  was  my 
only  company  for  days  together." 

40 


Oir  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Madame  Ziska,  seeing  that  she  had  found  some- 
thing in  which  he  was  interested,  went  to  the  harp- 
sichord, and  seating  herself,  sang  a  French  song  in 
a  sweet,  agreeable  voice. 

Frederick  was  charmed. 

"  Madame,  have  yon  any  other  accomplish- 
ments ? "  he  cried.  "  I  have  not  sunk  so  far  into 
the  savage  as  I  thought,  if  music  can  still  give  me 
such  pleasure." 

Madame  Ziska  hesitated,  a  roguish  smile  playing 
over  her  face. 

"  Did  your  Majesty  say  you  played  the  little  air 
I  tried  just  now  on  the  flute  ?  '^ 

"  Yes,  yes.  My  sister,  the  Margravine  of  Bai- 
reuth,  first  taught  it  to  me,  and  accompanied  me 
on  the  harpsichord." 

He  seized  the  flute  and  began  playing,  and  Ma- 
dame Ziska,  with  the  greatest  coolness  in  the  world, 
picking  up  her  skirts,  executed  a  pas  de  seul  that 
was  a  wonder  of  skill  and  grace.  The  intricacy 
of  her  steps  was  marvellous;  she  sprung  into  the 
air  and  alighted  on  the  point  of  her  toe,  and  then 
spun  around  with  dazzling  dexterity;  her  arms, 
used  with  exquisite  effect,  seemed  to  have  the 
power  of  wings  to  support  her;  but  when,  with  a 
final  bound  and  a  sinking  to  the  floor,  and  rising 

41 


THE   LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

with  consummate  grace,  she  was  about  to  conclude 
her  dance,  a  knock  came  at  the  door.  Madame 
Ziska,  with  lightning  quickness,  seated  herself  de- 
murely, while  the  King,  not  to  be  behindhand,  put 
his  flute  behind  him,  and  called  out  petulantly : 

"  Come  in." 

An  officer  entered  and,  saluting,  said : 

"  Did  your  Majesty  call  ?  " 

"  ^o,"  tartly  responded  the  King.  "  Did  you 
not  hear  me  playing  on  my  flute?  A  man  must 
have  some  recreation,  and  because  I  do  not  puff 
smoke  by  the  hour,  nor  gamble,  nor  make  a  beast 
of  myself  with  wine,  I  am  not  thereby  without 
tastes." 

The  officer  was  so  taken  aback  by  this  onslaught 
that  he  hastily  closed  the  door. 

The  effect  of  Madame  Ziska's  dance  was  not  less 
electrifying  to  the  two  men  in  the  closet  than  on  the 
King.  St.  Arnaud  was  somewhat  surprised,  but 
Gavin's  eyes  were  nearly  starting  out  of  his  head, 
and  St.  Arnaud  could  scarcely  keep  from  laughing, 
although  a  laugh  then  would  have  cost  him  his  life. 

"  There,  madame ! ''  said  Frederick,  when  the 
officer  had  hastily  shut  the  door.  "  You  see  one 
of  the  disadvantages  of  my  calling.  It  would  not 
surprise  my  military  family  in  the  least  if  I  were 

42 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

to  be  guilty  of  crimes  and  call  them  amusements ; 
but  that  I  should  occasionally  play  the  flute  never 
fails  to  astonish  them.  Bah !  But  tell  me  this," 
he  resumed,  as  Madame  Ziska,  panting  after  her 
exercise,  fanned  herself.  "  How  comes  it  that  a 
woman  who  dances  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the 
Grand  Opera  at  Paris  should  speak  so  well  ?  Par- 
don my  bluntness ;  I  have  fallen  into  it,  because  the 
women  I  see  are  chiefly  court  ladies  who  never 
would  have  done  talking,  when  once  they  begun,  if 
I  did  not  use  a  little  hrusquerie  with  them  occa- 
sionally." 

Madame  Ziska  laughed  a  singularly  pleasant 
and  honest  laugh.  "  I  do  myself  not  know,"  she 
replied,  "  except  that  as  soon  as  I  learned  to  read 
I  wished  to  put  it  to  practice.  I  come  of  the  very 
bourgeoisie  you  were  abusing  just  now ;  but  circum- 
stances placed  me  with  a  certain  person  in  particu- 
lar who  was  above  me  in  station  and  highly  edu- 
cated, and,  naturally,  I  strove  to  raise  myself  to  a 
higher  level  than  a  mere  dancer." 

"  Humph !    Where  are  you  going  now  ?  " 

"  I  am  on  my  way  to  Vienna.    Your  Majesty  has 

fluted  so  to  the  Austrians  and  French  that  they  are 

always  dancing — ^but  not  of  my  kind.     And  I  am 

going  where  I  can  find  people  who  will  think  of 

43 


THE   LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

some  one  else  tliaii  your  Majesty  long  enough  to  let 
a  poor  artist  make  a  living." 

^^  You  may  see  the  Empress  Queen  at  Vienna, 
but  not  exactly  as  you  see  me — ha !  ha !  However, 
I  will  give  you  some  tangible  proof  that  you  have 
seen  me." 

He  fumbled  in  his  pockets  and  brought  out  a 
plain  silver  snuff-box  with  the  royal  cipher  on  it. 
Then  taking  a  penknife  from  his  pocket,  he 
scratched  on  the  lid,  "  Jrederic,"  adding :  "  I,  and 
only  I,  so  write  my  name." 

Madame  Ziska's  conduct  on  receiving  this  was 
quite  different  from  what  might  have  been  expected 
from  her  previous  debonair  behaviour.  Her  eyes 
filled  with  tears,  and  she  clasped  her  hands  in 
gratitude. 

Within  the  closet,  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  re- 
mained breathless  and  noiseless  as  they  thought. 
But  those  clear,  limpid  eyes  of  Frederick's  saw 
more  than  was  apparent.  He  rose  and,  carelessly 
approaching  the  door,  raised  the  hilt  of  his  sword, 
and  bringing  it  down  with  a  thundering  crash,  the 
glass  door  was  shivered,  the  green  silk  torn  apart, 
and  the  two  French  officers  stood  revealed. 

'Gavin  Hamilton  thought  afterward :  "  There  is 
something  in  being  trained  as  an  officer,  after  all," 

44 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

for,  although  as  brave  a  man  as  St.  Arnaud,  he  in- 
voluntarily shrunk  back  into  the  closet  when  dis- 
covered ;  but  St.  Arnaud,  deliberately  stepping  out, 
bowed  to  the  ground  and  said  with  the  utmost 
suavity : 

"  Thanks,  your  Majesty.  It  luas  warm  in 
there ;  but  we  did  not  think  of  breaking  the  glass 
for  air ! " 

At  this  Frederick  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh ;  the 
coolness  of  St.  Arnaud  amused  him.  Madame 
Ziska  turned  pale,  but  at  the  King's  ringing  laugh 
she  recovered  herself,  and  said,  smiling  roguishly : 

"  We  are  three  to  one,  but  we  will  spare  your 
Majesty ! " 

Frederick  laughed  again  at  this,  and  seeing  Gav- 
in still  trying  to  make  himself  small  against  the 
wall  of  the  closet,  the  King  leant  in,  and  taking 
him  by  the  collar,  dragged  him  out,  Gavin  looking 
very  sheepish  and  blushing  furiously.  And  then 
the  great  King  and  the  French  officer,  the  private 
soldier  and  the  dancer  all  laughed  together. 

"  Madame  and  messieurs,"  cried  Frederick, 
"  you  may  claim  each  to  have  conferred  a  great 
favour  on  the  King  of  Prussia;  for  I  tell  you  I 
have  not  laughed  so  heartily  this  year.  I  thought 
I  had  forgotten  how.    'Nov  did  I  ever  take  a  pris- 

45 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

oner  before  with  my  own  hand;  and,  gentlemen, 
each  one  of  you  is  more  than  a  match  for  me,  and 
a  younger  man  beside." 

"  Your  Majesty  has  reason  to  boast  of  your 
prowess,'^  returned  St.  Arnaud,  while  Gavin,  sud- 
denly remembering  that  he  must  act  up  to  his  char- 
acter as  an  officer,  said  with  the  utmost  natural- 
ness : 

"  Sire,  if  only  I  had  kept  my  wits  about  me,  I 
would  have  knocked  your  Majesty  down  and 
jumped  out  of  the  window.  But  I  never  spoke 
with  a  king  before,  and  I  was  so  taken  aback — 
f^ith !  a  baby  might  have  captured  me." 

"  Don't  try  the  window,  my  fine  fellow,"  said 
Frederick  gayly,  but  with  a  warning  note  in  his 
voice ;  "  you  do  not  suppose  I  am  here  without  any 
escort  ?  The  fact  is,  however,  I  did  not  think  there 
was  a  Frenchman  or  an  Austrian  in  a  hundred 
miles.  What  is  your  name  and  rank  ? "  to  St. 
Arnaud. 

"  Captain  St.  Arnaud,  of  the  regiment  of 
Dufour,  and  this  is  Sublieutenant  Hamilton" 
(which  he  pronounced  no  better  than  Gavin)  "  of 
my  regiment.  We  have  been  running  away  from 
you  ever  since  Kosbach,  and  now,  presto !  you  catch 
us  like  a  couple  of  chickens  in  a  barnyard." 

46 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  And  I  broke  up  your  little  evening  party  with 
this  lady.  I  suspected  her  of  being  a  spy,  but  she 
charmed  me  so  with  her  music  and  dancing  that  I 
forgot  to  ask  her  a  word,  and  gave  her  the  only 
thing  of  value  I  had  about  me — my  snuff-box. 
But  I  must  let  my  staff  know  that,  single-handed, 
I  captured  a  couple  of  tall  Frenchmen."  Then 
calling  loudly  in  his  clear,  musical  voice  "  Stei- 
ner !  "  a  young  officer  opened  the  door  as  quickly 
as  if  he  had  sprung  from  the  ground.  When  he 
saw  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  he  started  with  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Taken  with  my  own  hand,''  said  Frederick 
with  a  wave  of  his  arm.  "  My  compliments  to  the 
chief  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  my  staff,  and  say 
I  will  not  rejoin  them  to-night,  but  I  shall  be 
ready  to  start  at  daylight  in  the  morning,  and  to 
keep  a  good  lookout.  There  may  be  more  than  two 
Frenchmen  about.  You,  Steiner,  I  will  have  to 
attend  me;  and  keep  the  others  well  off  in  the 
other  part  of  the  house.  We  may  have  a  little 
music  while  the  rest  are  having  their  pipes  and 
beer.  And  bring  my  writing-desk  with  you;  I 
shall  have  work  to  do  presently." 

Steiner  disappeared,  and  Madame  Ziska,  St. 
Arnaud,  and  Gavin,  as  if  realizing  that  they  were 

47 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

in  the  presence  of  the  greatest  king  of  his  age, 
remained  silent  and  standing. 

"  Pray  be  seated,"  said  Frederick,  with  the 
charming  manner  he  possessed,  but  did  not  always 
use.  "  It  is  not  often  I  have  either  leisure  or 
pleasure — the  business  of  being  a  king  requires  a 
man  to  work  like  a  galley-slave — ^but  to-night  I  will 
indulge  myself.  I  will  imagine  myself  as  I  was 
twenty  years  ago,  when,  so  far  from  fighting  the 
French,  I  loved  all  that  was  French.  Come,  Ma- 
dame, one  more  song." 

Madame  Ziska  rose,  and  going  to  the  harpsi- 
chord, sang  a  little  French  chansonnette.  Frederick 
seemed  delighted  with  it.  As  he  truly  said,  it  was 
as  if  he  had  gone  back  twenty  years,  when  music 
and  literature  made  up  his  life,  and  the  future 
great  captain  was  the  gentle  and  studious  Crown 
Prince. 

"  And  Tie  sings,"  said  Madame  Ziska,  pointing 
to  St.  Arnaud  as  she  rose. 

In  obedience  to  a  look  from  Frederick,  St.  Ar- 
naud went  to  the  harpsichord  and  sang ;  and  then 
it  was  Steiner's  turn,  who  roared  out  a  German 
drinking  song.  Unlike  the  rest,  Steiner  was  not 
at  his  ease  before  his  King,  although  he  tried  hard 
to  assume  the  air  of  unembarrassed  gayety  which 

48 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

prevailed  among  the  rest.  But  it  was  not  a  great 
success.  He  knew  the  King  too  well  to  suppose 
that  the  graceful  abandon  of  an  evening  spent  in 
unexpectedly  novel  and  agreeable  company  was  a 
fair  sample  of  his  usual  moods  and  methods.  The 
rest,  though,  naturally  pleased  themselves  with  the 
notion  that  they  would  be  extremely  favoured  by 
the  King.  Madame  Ziska  had  already  received 
a  valuable  mark  of  his  good-will  in  the  silver  snuff- 
box, and  expected  to  be  sent  rejoicing  upon  her 
journey.  Gavin^s  visions  were  so  brilliant  that  he 
almost  came  to  regard  their  capture  as  a  lucky  ac- 
cident. He  kept  thinking  to  himself :  "  Yesterday 
I  was  a  private  soldier.  To-night  I  sit  with  a 
king.    Surely,  that  means  a  turn  of  good  fortune." 

St.  Arnaud,  who  knew  more  of  kings  than  any 
of  them,  was  not  so  sanguine,  but  even  he  would 
rather  have  been  taken  prisoner  by  Frederick  than 
any  other  man  in  the  Prussian  army. 

The  evening  passed  delightfully.  Frederick 
seemed  to  return  to  his  early  love  for  the  French, 
and  nothing  could  exceed  the  grace  of  his  allusions 
to  "  my  brother  of  France,"  French  literature,  art, 
and  all  that  pertained  to  them.  The  extent  and 
variety  of  his  information  were  extraordinary,  and 
the  charm  of  his  voice  and  manner  could  not  have 

49 

4 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

been  excelled.  Gavin  had  the  good  sense  to  remain 
in  the  background ;  Madame  Ziska's  manner,  of  re- 
spect, without  obsequiousness,  was  as  perfect  as  St. 
Arnaud's,  who  had  learned  many  things  at  courts. 
At  last  one  o'clock  came.  The  King,  looking  at 
his  watch,  rose,  and  Madame  Ziska,  immediately 
taking  the  hint,  left  the  room.  The  King  said :  "  It 
is  time  to  go  to  work,"  and  Steiner  picked  up  the 
writing-desk  and  prepared  to  move.  "  The  worst 
of  pleasant  things  is  their  ending.  This  room  is 
yours,  gentlemen,  for  the  night;  andj  as  you  see, 
you  will  have  company  outside  the  window  and  in 
the  corridors.  And  I  am  prepared  to  accept  your 
parole." 

An  awkward  silence  ensued.  Both  Gavin  and 
St.  Arnaud  remembered  at  the  same  moment  that 
Gavin,  not  being  an  officer,  was  not  entitled  to  his 
parole ;  while  there  were  so  few  Prussian  officers, 
if  any,  in  the  hands  of  the  French,  that  St.  Ar- 
naud's  exchange  would  be  a  matter  of  time  and  dif- 
ficulty. After  a  moment  he  said,  with  a  profound 
bow: 

"  I  am  much  indebted  to  your  Majesty,  but  I 
prefer  to  take  my  chances  as  a  prisoner  of  war." 

Gavin,  who  had  determined  to  do  as  St.  Arnaud 
did,  bowed  and  said : 

50 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

«  Sire,  so  do  I." 

Frederick  scowled — ^kings  are  easily  offended, 
even  when  they  play  at  Ilaroun  al-Kaschid — and 
then  said  coldly : 

"  I  shall  then  refer  you  to  my  chief  of  staff.  I 
am  under  obligations  to  you  for  a  pleasant  evening. 
Good-night."  And  he  walked  out,  obsequiously 
preceded  by  Steiner. 

St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  were  left  alone.  They  had, 
however,  seen  a  soldier  standing  in  the  corridor 
upon  which  the  room  opened,  and  outside  they 
heard  the  steady  tramp  of  the  sentry's  feet  upon  the 
frozen  snow,  as  he  marched  up  and  down.  The 
candles  were  burnt  to  their  sockets,  and  the  dark- 
ness was  only  illumined  by  the  red  glow  of  the 
stove.  In  silence  they  wrapped  themselves  in  their 
pelisses,  and  lay  down,  not  to  sleep,  but  to  discuss 
in  whispers  their  chances. 

"  Why  did  you  not  accept  your  parole  ?  "  whis- 
pered Gavin. 

"  Because  I  believed  our  chances  better  as  pris- 
oners of  war,  and,  besides,  there  was  a  question  as 
to  your  parole.  All  this  may  be  known  some  day," 
replied  St.  Arnaud  in  the  same  low  whisper. 
"  And  you  forget — Madame  Ziska.  No  doubt  we 
will  be  carried  to  Glatz,  and  she  will  be  taken  with 

61 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

us  that  far.  I  do  not  fear  a  very  strict  imprison- 
ment— and  a  woman  can  contrive  wonderful 
things.'' 

"  Some  women  can,  like  my  mother,  for  exam- 
ple,'' replied  Gavin. 

"  Very  well.  Madame  Ziska  is  a  loyal  and  de- 
voted woman — something  assures  me  of  that ;  and, 
after  all,  we  are  not  more  than  three  hundred  miles 
from  Prince  Charles  at  this  very  moment.  Go  to 
sleep." 

Gavin  remained  quiet  for  five  minutes.  Then  he 
whispered : 

"  Have  you  any  money  ?  " 

"  Only  a  little,  but  half  of  it  is  yours." 

Gavin  nudged  St.  Arna\id  with  his  elbow  as  a 
sign  of  gratitude,  and  was  again  quiet  for  ^ve  min- 
utes, when  he  murmured :  "  We  are  much  better 
off,  even  as  prisoners,  than  we  were  last  night." 

"Yes." 

"  x\nd,"  again  whispered  Gavin  diffidently, 
"  how  did  I  act  the  officer  ?  " 

"  Admirably.    All  you  needed  was  a  sword." 

"  I  can  capture  one  from  the  enemy  in  time. 
Do  you  think  His  Majesty  will  be  as  pleasant  to 
us  in  the  morning  ?  " 

"  Not  if  he  is  like  the  kings  I  have  known.    The 

K9, 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

more  friendly  and  companionable  the  night  before, 
the  more  surly  the  next  morning — to  keep  us  from 
presuming,  I  suppose." 

A  silence  followed,  and  the  deep  and  heavy 
breathing,  which  showed  they  had  laid  aside  all 
their  perplexities  for  that  night. 

About  half  an  hour  afterward,  so  Gavin  im- 
agined, he  was  awakened  by  St.  Arnaud  stirring 
about  the  room,  but  it  was  nearly  daybreak.  Like 
a  true  soldier,  Gavin  waked  with  all  his  wits  about 
him.  He  saw  St.  Arnaud,  after  lighting  a  candle, 
produce  a  kettle  from  the  closet  in  which  they  had 
been  shut  up,  and,  filling  it  with  water,  he  put  it 
on  the  stove,  which  was  still  glowing  hot.  As  soon 
as  the  water  boiled  St.  Arnaud,  again  going  to  the 
closet,  fished  out  a  basin,  and  proceeded  to  enjoy 
a  thorough  bath.  He  then  produced  his  silver- 
mounted  razor  and,  standing  before  a  mirror,  re- 
moved the  beard  which  had  appeared  upon  his  face 
during  the  last  twenty-four  hours.  Then,  com- 
pletely washed  and  shaved,  he  looked  ready  for  a 
promenade  in  Paris.  Gavin  watched  him  closely, 
thinking  to  himself: 

"  He  will  see  that  I  bathe  and  shave  as  carefully 
as  he." 

St.  Arnaud's  toilet  finished,  he  shook  Gavin,  who 
53 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

got  up  and  made  rather  ostentatiously  a  toilet,  if 
anything,  more  careful  than  St.  Arnaud's.  When 
it  was  over  the  two  men  were  perfect  pictures  of 
officer-like  neatness.  And  as  for  good  looks,  St. 
Arnaud  was  exquisitely  handsome,  while  Gavin, 
by  his  noble  figure,  his  brilliant  complexion,  and 
his  frank  and  winning  expression,  made  up  for  his 
want  of  regular  beauty. 

The  tread  of  the  sentry  outside  of  the  window 
was  still  heard,  and  men  were  passing  back  and 
forth  in  the  corridors,  and  up  and  down  the  stairs. 
Scarcely  was  the  gray  dawn  visible  when  their 
door  was  unceremoniously  opened,  and  a  trooper 
appeared,  and,  pointing  with  his  sword  toward  the 
hall,  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  went  out.  Awaiting 
them  they  found  some  bread  and  coifee  for  break- 
fast, and  the  Prussians  fared  no  better. 

On  what  had  once  been  a  well-kept  pleasure 
ground,  with  a  fish-pond  in  the  middle,  the  King's 
staif  and  escort  were  assembled — over  two  hundred 
mounted  men.  A  trooper  held  the  bridles  of  the 
prisoners'  horses,  and  Madame  Ziska's  comfortable 
travelling  calash  was  drawn  up  in  the  centre  of  the 
cavalcade. 

In  another  moment  Madame  Ziska  appeared, 
a  Prussian  officer  leading  her  down  the   steps. 

54 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

She  nodded  to  St.   Arnaud   and   Gavin,   saying 

gayly: 

"  I  know  not  where  we  are  going^  but,  being 
captives  to  His  Majesty,  we  will  neither  starve 
nor  freeze,  of  which  there  was  great  danger  yes- 
terday." 

Down  the  steps  presently  came  Frederick.  He 
wore  the  shabby  surtout  of  the  night  before,  and  his 
hat  was  a  captain's  cocked  hat,  with  a  tarnished 
silver  buckle.  His  face  was  pale  and  his  eyes 
heavy,  as  if  he  had  spent  the  night  awake.  Behind 
him  walked  poor  Steiner,  carrying  a  large  bundle 
of  dispatches,  and  almost  ya\vning  in  the  King's 
face  from  sleeplessness.  Immediately  the  King's 
horse  was  brought,  and  he  mounted.  His  staff  as- 
sembled around  him,  and  the  order  was  given  to 
start.  All  this  time  he  had  not  bestowed  a  word 
or  a  look  upon  Madame  Ziska  in  her  calash  or  the 
two  prisoners.  On  passing  them,  however,  he 
recognized  their  salutes  by  an  absent-minded  bow. 
Gavin,  who  was  totally  unprepared  for  this  change, 
muttered  to  St.  Arnaud : 

"  Nice  behaviour,  that ;  I  suppose  His  Majesty 
has  quite  forgotten  that  he  pulled  me  out  of  the 
closet  last  night,  and  he  laughed  like  a  schoolboy  at 
it!" 

65 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

"  Put  not  your  trust  in  princes,"  was  St.  Ar- 
naud^s  wliispered  reply. 

They  then  put  forward  rapidly  and  in  silence. 
The  morning  was  clear  and  cold,  and  they  trav- 
elled fast.  Shortly  after  sunrise  they  reached  a 
place  where  the  highroad  branched  in  two.  A 
halt  was  made,  and  Frederick,  who  had  been  riding 
ahead,  stopped,  and  a  part  of  the  escort  defiled 
before  him.  When  Madame  Ziska's  calash  ap- 
proached, behind  which  rode  St.  Arnaud  and  Gav- 
in, Frederick  rode  up  to  them.  His  eyes  were  spark- 
ling, his  figure  was  erect,  and  the  agreeable  voice 
for  which  he  was  celebrated  rang  out  musically. 

"  We  part  here,  madame  and  messieurs,"  ho 
said.  "  Gentlemen,  you  are  for  Glatz.  Madame 
for  anywhere  she  likes.  I  to  meet  Prince  Charles 
of  Lorraine  wherever  I  can  find  him.  I  have  to 
thank  you  for  a  pleasant  evening.  Bon  jour !  " 
And  putting  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  followed  by  a 
dozen  ojfficers,  he  was  gone. 

"  What  strange  creatures  are  kings !  "  was  Gav- 
in's comment  to  St.  Arnaud,  wht),  in  his  time,  had 
seen  much  of  royalty.  "  Glatz !  A  terrible  place 
to  be  imprisoned  in !  " 

"  There  is  a  way  out  of  every  place  to  which 
there  is  a  way  in,"  was  St.  Arnaud's  reply. 

66 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

That  night  they  stopped  at  a  village  where  Prus- 
sians were  much  in  evidence ;  and  three  days  after- 
ward, at  nightfall,  they  found  themselves  at  the 
main  entrance  of  the  fortress  of  Glatz. 

Madame  Ziska  was  still  with  them,  but  her  be- 
haviour during  their  three  days  of  journeying  had 
surprised  and  disgusted  Gavin.  She  seemed  rather 
to  avoid  them,  and  was  hand  and  glove  with  the 
Prussians.  Gavin  had  mentioned  it  several  times 
to  St.  Arnaud,  who  only  smiled  and  said :  "  Women 
go  by  contraries  sometimes,  my  lad," 

When  the  moment  came,  before  the  gate  of  the 
citadel  of  Glatz,  that  the  two  were  to  part  from 
her,  she  stepped  from  her  carriage  lightly,  and 
said  good-by  with  a  gayety  which  seemed  to  Gavin 
quite  heartless.  It  was  a  bright  moonlight  even- 
ing, and  the  lights  in  the  town  shone  cheerfully. 
But  before  them  loomed  the  fortress,  black  and 
forbidding.  Por  the  first  time  Gavin's  heart  sank ; 
it  sank  lower  still  when  this  woman,  whom  he  had 
credited  with  the  utmost  generosity  of  heart, 
showed  such  indifference  to  their  fate. 

"  I  will  remain  here  a  day  or  two,"  she  said, 
"  until  I  can  get  post-horses.  I  wish  I  could  do 
something  for  you ;  perhaps  I  may  be  able  to  send 
you  some  delicacies  for  your  table.    We  may  hope 

57 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

to  meet  again;  I,  an  actress,  singer,  and  dancer, 
go  up  and  down  the  world  earning  my  living,  and 
I  meet  everybody  in  the  world  at  least  once,  and 
sometimes  twice.  I  shall  not  soon  forget  that  even- 
ing we  spent  as  the  King's  prisoners.  Remember 
me.    Adieu.'' 

The  two  prisoners  were  taken  before  the  com- 
mandant of  the  fortress,  General  Kollnitz,  who  re- 
ceived them  courteously  as  prisoners  of  war,  and 
invited  them  to  supper  with  him.  He  was  of  un- 
wieldy bulk,  but  clear-eyed  and  clear-headed,  and, 
evidently,  a  capable  man.  The  only  other  guest 
at  the  table  was  the  adjutant,  Pfels,  whom  St.  Ar- 
naud  and  Gavin  found  an  amiable  and  soldierly 
young  man. 

Gavin  by  that  time  had  grown  so  used  to  sitting 
at  the  table  with  officers,  that  he  felt  not  only  as 
if  he  really  were  an  officer,  but  as  if  he  had  always 
been  an  officer.  He  could  not  rally,  however,  from 
his  depression.  The  falsity,  as  he  thought,  of  Ma- 
dame Ziska  affected  him  strangely.  !N'aturally,  he 
took  his  mother  as  the  standard  of  all  women,  and 
he  looked  for  high  courage  and  unswerving  loyalty 
from  them  all.  True,  they  had  no  claim  on  Ma- 
dame Ziska,  but  he  thought  her  a  brave  and  honest 
woman,  and  St.  Arnaud  had  hinted  at  chances  of 

58 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

assistance  from  her  which  had  impressed  the  idea 
upon  him  that  they  might  look  to  her  for  succour. 
So  he  ate  his  supper  silently,  while  St.  Arnaud 
spared  no  pains  in  making  himself  agreeable  to 
the  commandant.  He  told  the  story  of  their  capture 
inimitably,  and  had  the  fat  general  and  the  slim 
adjutant  both  laughing  at  it,  especially  at  Gavin's 
assertion  that  if  only  he  had  kept  his  wits  about 
him  he  would  have  knocked  the  King  down. 

At  last,  supper  being  over,  they  were  shown  two 
communicating  cells  high  up  in  the  tower  of  the 
fortress.  A  candle  was  given  them,  the  door 
locked,  and  they  were  left  alone.  St,  Arnaud  at 
once  blew  out  the  candle,  hid  it,  and  the  two,  sit- 
ting on  Gavin's  bed,  with  the  moonlight  streaming 
through  a  narrow,  barred  window,  realized  that 
they  were  prisoners.  And  in  the  very  first  hour 
of  their  real  captivity  they  began  to  plan  for 
their  escape.  Gavin's  first  words  were :  "  You 
counted  on  Madame  Ziska;  what  think  you 
now?" 

"  I  think,"  responded  St.  Arnaud,  with  a  smile, 
"  that  an  honest  woman  like  her  is  more  to  be 
trusted  than  the  great  ones  of  earth.  Look  at  our 
friend  the  King — singing  and  drinking  with  us  at 
night,  parting  from  us  in  the  morning,  without 

59 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

asking  lis  if  we  were  in  want,  or  if  he  could  do  the 
smallest  thing  for  us." 

"  Humph !  Madame  Ziska  offered  to  send  us 
something  to  eat  if  she  had  time  and  could  remem- 
ber it.  And  she  hardly  spoke  to  us  after  we  started 
on  the  journey." 

"  Did  you  expect  her  to  set  all  eyes  to  watching 
us  by  promising  us  eternal  friendship  ?  'Now  hear 
me:  Madame  Ziska's  manner  convinced  me  that 
she  meant  to  help  us  substantially;  and  her  cold- 
ness to  us  was  intended  to  throw  the  rest  off  the 
scent.  I  can  tell  you  this  much :  I  shall  very  care- 
fully examine  any  provender  that  Madame  Ziska 
may  chance  to  remember  to  send  us.  I  knew  a 
woman  once  who  sent  a  jewel  in  an  orange.  They 
are,  after  all,  much  cleverer  than  we.  Think  about 
that  until  you  go  to  sleep." 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  first  week  of  captivity  passed  slowly  and 
heavily  for  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud,  and  it  was  not 
lightened  when,  a  few  days  after,  came  the  news 
of  the  defeat  of  Prince  Charles  at  Leuthen  by 
Frederick  of  Prussia. 

!N'aturally,  every  waking  hour  was  spent  in  plan- 
ning and  dreaming  of  escape,  but  St.  Arnaud  coun- 
selled patience. 

"  Wait  until  we  know  something  more  of  our 
surroundings  and  the  people  about  us.  I  have  an 
idea  in  my  mind  about  the  commandant.  And, 
besides,  we  shall  hear  from  Madame  Ziska  in  time, 
and  I  have  the  greatest  confidence  in  that  woman's 
friendship.''  To  all  of  which  Gavin  gave  a  grum- 
bling assent. 

In  that  time,  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin,  who,  a 
month  before,  had  never  exchanged  a  word,  came  to 
know  each  other  better  than  they  knew  any  other 
men  in  the  world.  Gavin's  trustful  and  generous 
nature  was  filled  with  admiration  at  the  calmness 

61 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

and  even  gayety  with  which  St.  Arnaud  bore  his 
misfortunes.  He  made  a  careful  toilet  every  day, 
sang  and  whistled  cheerfully,  and  amused  himself 
and  Gavin,  too,  by  supplying  what  he  called  the 
deficiencies  of  a  limited  education.  He  studied 
German  industriously,  and  succeeded  in  borrowing 
from  the  commandant  a  few  old  books  on  military 
science,  which  he  read  with  diligence  if  not  with 
profit. 

"  You  see,"  he  said  to  Gavin,  "  I  was  taught  no 
end  of  Latin  and  Greek  and  music  and  grammar 
and  fencing,  and  all  sorts  of  things  that  an  officer 
should  know;  but  this  original  person,  the  King 
of  Prussia,  has  made  all  these  things  perfectly 
useless.  Some  of  our  generals  whom  he  has  de- 
feated knew  more  Latin  and  Greek  and  fencing 
than  I ;  but  yet  they  were  whipped.  However,  if 
England,  your  country,  will  continue  to  assist  the 
Empress  Queen,  we  may  yet  beat  Frederick.  And 
meanwhile  I  am  doing  my  best  to  study  the  art  of 
war,  although,  according  to  the  books,  the  King's 
tactics  are  all  wrong." 

Gavin  would  smile  at  this  and  listen,  but  left 
to  himself,  he  had  not  the  calm  fortitude  of  the 
older  man.  l^othing  in  the  way  of  danger  or  pri- 
vation could  quench  Gavin's  spirit  as  long  as  he 

62 


OF  GAVIN   HAMILTON 

was  on  horseback  and  roaming  about  the  country ; 
but  the  confinement  of  a  prison  for  a  week  did  more 
to  depress  him  than  a  month  of  dangers  and  haz- 
ards. Often  he  would  toss  about  on  his  narrow 
bed  and  groan  loudly  in  the  very  anguish  of  his 
heart,  and  then  be  shamed  into  fortitude  by  St. 
Arnaud  laughing  at  him.  And  St.  Arnaud  de- 
clined to  consider  either  of  them  the  most  unfor- 
tunate of  men. 

"  I  grant  you,"  said  he,  "  that  I  would  rather 
be  at  Versailles,  as  I  was  a  year  ago,  than  shut  up 
here  in  Glatz.  But  the  other  was  an  imprison- 
ment, too.  What  do  you  think  of  getting  up  at 
live  o'clock,  spending  the  whole  day  in  attendance 
on  the  King,  in  court  clothes  and  periwig?  Ah! 
how  hot  it  was  in  summer,  and  how  cold  it  was 
in  winter !  N'ever  a  moment  to  sit  down,  always 
wearing  a  grin,  when  one  would  much  rather  have 
scowled.  I  was  freer  when  I  was  a  captain  in  Du- 
four's  regiment  than  ever  I  was  in  the  King's 
Musketeers,  where  even  the  private  soldiers  are 
gentlemen." 

"  But  we  will  never  get  out.  Prince  Charles 
beaten,  what  is  there  to  keep  that  long-nosed  Fred- 
erick from  marching  to  Vienna  ?  Tell  me  that,  I 
say." 

63 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  that.  Let  us  see 
how  we  can  get  to  Vienna  ourselves.  It  is  time  we 
were  hearing  from  Madame  Ziska,  for  I  am  sure 
she  has  not  forgotten  us." 

The  very  next  morning  a  parcel  was  brought 
them,  with  an  unsealed  letter.  All  had  been 
opened  and  the  letter  read.    It  ran : 

"  Dear  Captain  St.  Arnaud  :  Knowing  you 
and  your  fellow-prisoner,  Sublieutenant  Ham- 
ilton, were  well  fed  by  the  excellent  comman- 
dant, I  had  difficulty  in  thinking  of  something 
you  needed.  But  remembering  how  exces- 
sively particular  you  are  about  your  toilet,  I  send 
you  some  powder  and  scented  soap.  I  am  leaving 
here  to-day  in  hopes  of  some  time  reaching  Vienna, 
where  I  expect  to  find  an  engagement  at  the  opera 
house.  I  shall  stop  a  few  days  on  the  road  with 
some  relatives  of  mine,  honest  shopkeepers.  How 
strange  is  life !  One  day  I  sup  with  the  greatest 
king  in  the  world ;  the  next  I  visit  people  who  hang 
a  bag  of  wool  in  one  window  and  a  hank  of  yarn  in 
the  other,  to  signify  what  they  have  to  sell.  I 
scorn,  as  you  see,  the  common  affectation  of  repre- 
senting my  family  to  be  more  important  than  it 
really  is. 

64 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  I  beg  you  both  to  hold  me  in  remembrance, 
and  I  promise  not  to  forget  you.  We  shall  meet 
again.  Kosa  Ziska." 

The  soap  bore  evident  marks  of  having  been 
pricked  through  with  darning-needles,  to  make 
sure  that  neither  files  nor  money  were  concealed 
inside.  Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  they  were  locked 
up  for  the  night  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  proceeded 
to  dissolve  the  soap  in  a  basin  of  water  by  the 
light  o:{  the  brilliant  moon,  which  flooded  their  cells 
through  the  narrow  window.  They  were  rewarded 
by  finding  small  scraps  of  paper,  so  cunningly  laid 
inside  the  soap  that  a  needle  could  pass  through 
it  without  trouble.  After  carefully  saving  every 
scrap  and  drying  them  all,  daylight  revealed  them 
to  be,  when  pieced  together,  a  bank-note  for  a  hun- 
dred ducats  and  a  map  of  the  country  around 
Glatz,  showing,  in  particular,  the  road  to  the  Bo- 
hemian mountains.  Several  villages  on  the  route 
were  marked  by  crosses,  indicating  it  was  safe  to 
stop  at  them. 

"  And  I  thought  she  had  forgotten  us !  "  said 
Gavin  remorsefully. 

"  Women,  my  dear  boy,  rarely  desert  us  in  mis- 
fortune.    They  carefully  choose  our  time  of  pros- 

65 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

perity  to  play  tlie  deuce.  They  are  considerate 
even  in  tormenting  us.  One  thing  is  sure  about 
this  particular  woman,  Madame  Ziska — she  thinks 
us  a  couple  of  enterprising  fellows,  and  evidently 
expects  us  to  escape,  and  I  cannot  bear  to  disap- 
point the  expectations  of  a  lady." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Gavin,  "  that  for  pris- 
oners captured  by  the  King's  own  hand  we  have 
very  little  attention  shown  us  by  the  comman- 
dant. He  might  have  asked  us  to  dinner,  at 
least." 

The  very  next  morning  Pfels,  the  tall,  thin  ad- 
jutant, appeared  with  the  compliments  of  General 
Kollnitz  and  an  invitation  to  dinner  at  four 
o'clock.  Pfels,  who  was  a  very  civil,  pleasant  fel- 
low, explained  that  this  would  have  been  done  be- 
fore, but  that  the  commandant  had  been  suffer- 
ing from  rheumatism,  and  had  been  obliged  to  keep 
his  bed  for  some  time  past.  His  health,  however, 
was  now  restored. 

The  invitation  was  promptly  accepted,  and  then 
Gavin  began  to  tease  St.  Arnaud  to  tell  him  the 
plan  of  escape  in  which  the  commandant  figured. 
St.  Arnaud  good-naturedly  refused,  and  then  Gav- 
in cried : 

"  But  let  us  swear  never  to  be  divided  from  each 
66 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

other,  for  I  believe  our  chance  of  safety  is  increased 
tenfold  by  being  together." 

St.  Arnaud  smiled;  he  read  Gavin  like  a  book, 
and  saw  that  this  pretence  of  finding  safety  to- 
gether was  only  the  heart  of  Gavin  clinging  to  what 
it  loved. 

Precisely  at  a  quarter  to  four  Pfels  appeared, 
and  led  them  through  a  maze  of  corridors,  stairs, 
and  passages,  to  the  commandant's  quarters. 
These  were  a  handsome  suite  of  rooms,  directly 
on  the  sallyport. 

On  entering,  they  found  General  KoUnitz  seated 
in  a  huge  chair;  he  managed  to  rise  from  it,  in 
spite  of  his  vast  bulk  and  stiff  joints,  to  welcome 
his  gaicsts. 

"  You  will  find  us  a  small  party,''  said  he,  "  but 
the  fact  is  we  are  very  short  of  officers  at  present, 
the  King  having  need  of  all  that  could  be  spared, 
and  my  military  family  is  much  reduced." 

Dinner  was  soon  announced,  and  proved  an  ex- 
cellent one.  St.  Arnaud  exerted  himself,  as  usual, 
to  be  agreeable,  and  he  never  failed  at  that.  Gavin, 
too,  recovered  his  spirits  at  the  sight  of  a  good  din- 
ner, and  sent  the  fat  general  into  roars  of  laughter 
by  saying,  when  Frederick's  name  was  mentioned : 

"  And  to  think  I  should  have  been  led,  like  a 
67 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

great  calf,  out  of  that  closet !  Oh,  I  am  afraid  the 
King  thinks  me  a  wretched  coward !  " 

The  dinner  passed  pleasantly,  and  Gavin's  heart 
was  made  glad  by  a  polite  offer  from  General  Koll- 
nitz  to  forward  letters  for  them.  Gavin  immedi- 
ately began  in  thought  a  letter  to  his  mother. 

Evidences  of  vigilance  and  watchfulness  on  the 
part  of  the  garrison  were  not  wanting,  even  when 
the  commandant  and  his  adjutant  were  supposed 
to  be  taking  their  ease  at  dinner.  Every  hour 
Pfels  w^as  called  into  the  anteroom  to  receive 
reports  from  every  quarter  of  the  fortress.  About 
half-past  eight  o'clock  the  general,  who  had  been 
talking  gayly,  suddenly  stopped,  laid  his  head  back, 
and  in  a  moment  was  slumbering  peacefully. 
Pfels  smiled  and  said :  "  That  has  been  his  habit  for 
years.  He  is  quite  unconscious  of  it,  though,  and  if 
you  hint  he  has  been  asleep  he  grows  very  angry. 
He  wakes  of  himself  in  a  half  hour  or  so,  and  goes 
back  to  what  he  was  talking  about  when  he  dropped 
off.  I  was  warned,  when  I  was  ordered  here,  that 
more  aides  had  been  sent  back  to  their  regiments 
for  mentioning  to  the  general  that  he  had  fallen 
asleep  than  one  could  count.  It  is  quite  the  garri- 
son joke." 

Sure  enough,  as  Pfels  said,  the  general  waked 
68 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

after  a  while  and  resumed :  "  Gentlemen,  as  we 
were  saying  a  moment  ago,  your  letters  should  be 
ready  to-morrow."  iTone  of  the  young  men  as 
much  as  smiled. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  rumbling  of  a^  carriage  under 
the  archway  was  heard. 

"  That  is  no  new  arrival,"  remarked  General 
Kollnitz.  "  The  regulations  require  me  to  make 
the  circuit  of  the  fortress,  inside  and  out,  at  nine 
o'clock  every  evening.  My  disabilities  compel  me 
to  make  the  outer  circuit  in  a  carriage.  But^  let 
none  think  that  the  only  inspection  had  is  that  of  a 
gouty  old  gentleman,  the  rattling  of  whose  car- 
riage may  be  heard  a  mile  off.  That  is  merely 
perfunctory.  Better  legs  and  eyes  than  mine  are 
on  watch  day  and  night.  Not  a  prisoner  has  es- 
caped since  I  have  been  here,  and  every  deserter 
has  been  recaptured.  On  all  three  sides  of  the 
fortress  a  heavy  siege-gun  is  kept  loaded,  and  as 
soon  as  a  prisoner  or  deserter  is  missed,  those  guns 
are  fired,  one  immediately  after  the  other.  That 
gives  notice,  and  arouses  not  only  the  garrison, 
but  the  town  and  the  surrounding  country.  As  I 
offer  a  handsome  reward  for  every  prisoner  or 
deserter  captured,  the  peasants  and  townspeople 
may  be  relied  on  for  vigilance ;  and  difficult  as  the 

69 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

escape  is  from  the  fortress,  the  real  obstruction 
is  outside  and  beyond  the  walls.  I  tell  you  this  for 
your  profit,  because,  being  young  and  adventurous, 
you  may  tempt  fate;  and  you  will  certainly  fail 
unless  you  can  get  at  least  two  hours'  start  before 
your  absence  is  discovered." 

Pf els  then  went  to  a  press  in  the  room,  and  took 
out  a  huge  cloak  and  chapeau,  which  he  placed 
upon  the  general;  and,  putting  on  his  own  cloak 
and  hat,  and  calling  an  orderly  to  show  the  guests 
the  way  back  to  their  cells,  opened  the  door  and 
carefully  escorted  the  rheumatic  old  gentleman 
down  a  winding  stair.  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud 
heard  the  clank  of  muskets  as  the  guard  presented 
arms,  and  in  another  moment  the  carriage  rolled 
under  the  sallyport. 

The  next  day  Gavin  spent  writing  to  his  mother. 
He  covered  many  pages,  and  when  Pfels  made  his 
rounds  that  evening  handed  him  the  letter.  It 
was  well  written  and  well  expressed,  and  Gavin 
felt  decidedly  proud  of  his  educational  accomplish- 
ments. Pfels  made  a  polite  apology  for  being  com- 
pelled to  read  the  letter  before  sending  it. 

"  Read  it  now,"  cried  Gavin. 

Pfels  glanced  over  it,  and  handed  it  back  with 
a  smile. 

70 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  Pardon  me  for  calling  your  attention  to  a  sin- 
gular circumstance ;  you  have  not  told  your  mother 
one  word  about  yourself,  as  far  as  I  have  seen ;  it 
is  all  about  your  fellow-prisoner." 

"  Oh !  "  cried  Gavin  with  a  blush.  "  Give  me 
the  letter ; "  and  he  added  at  the  bottom :  "  Dear 
mother,  forgive  me  for  forgetting  to  tell  you  that 
I  am  very  well.    Your  devoted  son,  G.  H." 

So  agreeable  was  the  impression  made  by  the 
two  upon  the  commandant,  that  they  were  invited 
to  dine  with  him  constantly.  Life  in  the  fortress 
was  monotonous  to  the  officers,  and  the  presence  of 
two  interesting  prisoners  was  a  genuine  resource 
to  the  commandant  and  Pfels.  St.  Arnaud  and 
Gavin  had  by  no  means  given  up  the  thought  of 
escape,  in  spite  of  the  general's  well-meant  warn- 
ing ;  and  as  the  prospect  of  exchange  grew  fainter, 
they  dwelt  the  more  upon  the  idea  of  getting  away. 
Both  of  them  realized  the  numerous  difficulties 
they  would  encounter,  even  if  they  should  be  for- 
tunate enough  to  get  beyond  the  walls;  yet  that 
did  not  cause  them  to  give  up  their  hopes.  One 
night,  after  they  had  been  dining  with  the  com- 
mandant and  Pfels,  and  were  returned  to  their 
cells,  St.  Arnaud  whispered : 

"  Do  yon  know.  Gavin,  I  think  you  look  some- 
71 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

thing  like  the  generaL  Of  course,  you  are  not  so 
large,  but  a  couple  of  pillows,  and  the  generaFs 
cloak  and  hat — " 

"  What !  "  replied  Gavin,  in  an  indignant  whis- 
per ;  for  this  young  man  had  no  small  opinion  of 
his  own  comeliness  of  face  and  figure;  and  then 
suddenly  stopping,  he  realized  a  hidden  meaning 
in  St.  Arnaud^s  words.  The  two  conversed  half  the 
night  in  whispers ;  and  when,  toward  morning,  they 
dropped  off  asleep,  St.  Arnaud  was  saying :  ^^  AlPs 
fair  in  war,  as  in  love." 

They  anxiously  awaited  another  invitation  to 
dine,  and  when  the  invitation  and  the  day  came 
they  were  ready  for  something  more  than  a  dinner 
with  the  general  and  Pfels.  St.  Arnaud  had  given 
Gavin  half  the  money  he  had  left ;  poor  Gavin  had 
only  a  few  francs  of  his  private's  pay  remaining. 
Gavin  carried  the  bank-note  concealed  about  him, 
and  St.  Arnaud  the  map.  Each  had  in  his  pocket 
his  comb  and  soap  and  such  poor  preparations  as 
could  be  made  for  flight ;  and  each,  on  leaving  the 
cell,  gave  a  last  look  back,  and  knew  that  he  would 
never  enter  it  again,  for  before  nine  o'clock  they 
meant  to  make  a  dash  for  liberty,  and  if  they  failed 
and  were  brought  back,  they  would  be  consigned  to 
a  far  more  rigorous  confinement. 

72 


or  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

General  Kollnitz  received  them  with  his  usual 
kindness,  and  Gavin  felt  a  qualm  at  the  thought 
of  the  perplexity  and  chagrin  in  which  they  were 
about  to  plunge  the  old  gentleman.  Liberty,  how- 
ever, was  too  dear  to  be  forsworn;  and  they  both 
knew  it  to  be  their  duty,  as  well  as  their  right,  to 
make  every  effort  to  restore  their  services  to  their 
own  country.  Thoughts  of  the  same  kind  had 
passed  through  St.  Arnaud's  brain,  and  he  had  said 
to  Gavin  the  night  before : 

"  Our  oath  obliges  us  to  do  all  in  our  power  to 
annoy  the  enemy.  Egad,  we  will  annoy  the  enemy 
fearfully  in  this  case — poor,  dear  old  Kollnite !  I 
believe  he  will  be  more  annoyed  at  having  his 
record  broken  than  at  the  loss  of  our  valuable 
company;  that  is,  if — "  St.  Arnaud  made  a  sig- 
nificant pause. 

Neither  he  nor  Gavin  indicated  by  the  flutter 
of  an  eyelash  that  a  moment  of  destiny  was  ap- 
proaching. The  short  January  twilight  made 
candles  necessary  before  dinner  was  half  over, 
and  then  a  heavy  fog  crept  down  the  mountains, 
and  enveloped  town  and  fortress  in  a  white 
and  death-like  mist.  The  ground  was  covered 
with  snow,  and  General  Kollnitz  shivered  as  he 
said; 

73 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

"  Ugh !  To  take  my  rheumatism  out  a  night 
like  this !  " 

By  what  seemed  a  strange  fatality  the  conver- 
sation turned  on  escapes  from  prison,  and  the  gen- 
eral said  frankly :  ^^  I  pride  myself  not  on  the 
strength  of  my  bolts  and  bars,  bat  on  the  inability 
of  an  escaped  prisoner  or  deserter  to  get  beyond 
the  radius  in  which  he  is  sure  to  be  captured.  I 
believe  it  has  been  proved  that  human  ingenuity 
can  break  through  any  bond  which  human  in- 
genuity can  devise.  But  under  my  system  every 
peasant  within  ten  miles  is  made  a  scout  the  in- 
stant the  guns  are  fired ;  and  the  prospect  of  a  hun- 
dred florins  sharpens  their  wits  amazingly." 

Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  frankly  agreed  with  him 
that  the  real  difficulties  existed  outside  rather  than 
inside  the  prison. 

Dinner  over,  the  servants  left  the  room,  and 
pipes  were  produced;  but  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin 
had  not  acquired  the  practice  of  smoking,  common 
even  then  among  Prussian  officers.  General  Koll- 
nitz  was  a  picture  as  he  sat  back,  his  huge  form 
filling  his  chair,  with  a  long  pipe  in  front  of  him. 
Pfels  was  no  less  active  and  vigilant  than  ever; 
at  six,  seven,  and  eight  o'clock  he  went  into  the 
anteroom  to  receive  the  report  of  the  officer  of  the 

74 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

guard,  and  at  nine  he  was  to  make  the  tour  of  the 
fortress  with  the  commandant. 

By  eight  o'clock  the  commandant  was  taking 
his  usual  doze.  Pfels  went  out  into  the  anteroom, 
and  as  soon  as  his  back  was  turned  Gavin  rose 
and,  taking  a  knife  from  the  table,  softly  cut  all 
the  cords  from  the  curtains  and  bell-ropes,  and 
quickly  rolled  them  into  a  pile,  which  he  threw  on 
the  sofa,  and  carefully  placed  the  sofa-cushions 
over  them.  Then  he  gently  tried  the  handle  of  the 
closet  door  in  which  the  general's  huge  pelisse 
and  hat  and  Pfels'  hat  and  cloak  were  kept,  and, 
to  his  joy,  all  were  hanging  in  their  accustomed 
places.  When  Pfels  returned  he  found  St.  Arnaud 
and  Gavin  still  seated  at  the  table,  and  apparently 
absorbed  in  a  game  of  patience,  while  the  com- 
mandant snored  loudly. 

"  The  commandant's  practice  of  going  to  sleep 
over  his  pipe  is  rather  awkward  with  certain 
guests,"  said  Pfels,  laughing  and  reseating  himself 
at  the  table,  "  but  nothing  can  change  his  habit. 
Luckily,  I  keep  wide-awake  enough  for  two." 

"  We  don't  object  in  the  least  to  the  command- 
ant's taking  his  ease,  although  we  enjoy  his  com- 
pany; but  I  observe,  unlike  most  inert  men,  he 
keeps  other  people's  eyes  open." 

75 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

The  three  young  men  continued  to  converse 
pleasantly  until  the  hand  of  the  clock  pointed  to 
ten  minutes  before  nine.  Then  Gavin  rose  and, 
going  to  the  window  which  was  at  Pfels^  back, 
peered  out.  The  solid  mass  of  the  fortress,  the 
town,  the  river,  the  snow-covered  earth,  all  were 
wrapped  in  a  white  veil  of  fog,  through  which  they 
loomed  mysteriously.  This  cold  and  silvery  mist 
brought  with  it  silence  as  well  as  obscurity.  All 
sounds  were  deadened,  and  the  dim  figures  of  the 
sentries,  as  they  passed  to  and  fro,  were  like  ghosts, 
so  noiseless  were  their  steps.  The  thought  came 
into  Gavin's  mind,  "  The  guns  will  not  carry  far 
to-night."  At  that  moment  there  was  the  slight 
commotion  outside  of  relieving  the  guard,  and 
Pf els  said  to  St.  Arnaud : 

"  My  work  for  the  day  will  soon  be  over.  Bohm 
is  officer  in  charge  to-night,  and  I  always  feel  par- 
ticularly safe  when  he — ^^ 

The  next  instant  Gavin  pinioned  him  from  be- 
hind, and  St.  Arnaud  slipped  a  gag  made  of  the 
playing-cards  and  a  napkin  into  the  poor  adjutant's 
mouth.  He  had  not  a  moment  to  cry  out,  and 
could  not  utter  an  articulate  sound ;  and  the  slight 
scuffle  he  was  able  to  make,  while  his  hands  and 
feet  were  securely  tied  with  bell  cords  by  St.  Ar- 

76 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

nauU,  could  not  be  heard  outside  the  room.  He 
was  then  blindfolded  with  a  napkin,  St.  Arnaud 
saying: 

"  Sorry,  dear  Pfels,  but,  you  know,  it  is  a  sol- 
dier's duty  to  escape  if  he  can,  and  you  would  do 
as  much  by  me.  You  are  one  of  the  best  fellows 
in  the  world  " — here  he  fixed  the  gag  more  Urmly 
in  the  mouth  of  poor  Pfels,  who  groaned  faintly — 
"  and  as  you  and  the  general  often  told  us  get- 
ting out  of  the  fortress  was  nothing — we  were  cer- 
tain to  be  caught  within  two  hours — so,  now,  we 
will  have  a  chance  to  test  our  respective  theories." 

Pfels  could  only  writhe  about  and  wag  his  head 
violently ;  but  they  thought  it  as  well  to  tie  him  to 
his  chair,  a  precaution  which  they  also  took  with 
the  general,  as  he  slumbered  peacefully. 

All  was  done  in  an  almost  inconceivably  short 
time.  They  dared  not  turn  the  lock  of  the  door  for 
fear  of  awaking  suspicion  in  the  anteroom,  but 
as  no  one  would  enter  without  knocking,  they  could 
safely  count  on  a  few  minutes  of  time.  St.  Arnaud 
noiselessly  opened  the  door  of  the  press  and  got 
out  the  general's  best  cloak  and  chapeau,  while 
Gavin  firmly  tied  a  couple  of  sofa-pillows  around 
his  body ;  and  when  he  had  on  the  huge  cloak,  with 
the  collar  turned  up  to  his  eyes,  and  tlie  chapeau 

77 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

pulled  down  over  his  ears,  it  was  not  a  bad  imita- 
tion of  the  general's  grotesque  figure.  St.  Arnaud 
put  on  Pfels'  cloak  and  hat,  and  they  looked  at 
the  clock  and  saw  that  they  had  yet  five  minutes  to 
wait. 

St.  Arnaud  went  to  the  door  of  the  anteroom, 
and  kept  his  hand  on  the  key,  ready  to  turn  it  at  a 
moment's  notice,  while  Gavin  carried  out  the  last 
detail  of  their  carefully  studied  plan  by  stuffing 
bits  of  his  handkerchief  in  the  ears  of  Pf  els  and  the 
commandant.  They  had  then  four  minutes  to  wait 
for  the  carriage,  and  it  was  the  longest  interval  of 
time  that  either  one  was  ever  to  spend  in  his  life. 

The  roll  of  the  carriage  was  then  heard,  and  in 
another  moment  they  had  softly  opened  the  door 
that  led  to  the  stairs,  and  were  going  lightly  down. 

They  came  down  so  much  quicker  than  the  com- 
mandant usually  did,  that  the  orderly,  who  was 
standing  on  the  pavement  a  little  way  off,  did  not 
have  time  to  open  the  carriage  door;  St.  Arnaud, 
however,  saved  him  the  trouble,  and,  as  he  ran  for- 
ward, Pfels,  as  he  thought,  was  just  stepping  into 
the  carriage.  The  orderly  put  up  the  steps, 
jumped  on  the  box,  and  the  coachman  drove 
through  the  sallyport,  the  orderly  giving  the  coun- 
tersign. 

78 


CHAPTER  V 

They  were  soon  across  the  drawbridge  and  out- 
side the  ramparts.  The  night  was  pitch  dark,  but 
in  spite  of  it  the  coachman  drove  rapidly  along  the 
well-known  road,  and  they  were  not  stopped  once 
after  getting  outside.  As  soon  as  they  were  on 
the  side  of  the  citadel  opposite  the  town,  they  knew 
they  were  on  the  side  of  the  Bohemian  mountains. 
This  was  their  point  of  escape.  Gavin  disengaged 
himself  of  his  pillows  and  threw  the  heavy  cloak 
over  his  arm,  and  St.  Arnaud  did  likewise;  they 
could  not  afford  to  cast  away  such  excellent  dis- 
guises. Then,  noiselessly  opening  the  carriage 
door,  they  both  dropped  to  the  ground  with  so 
much  dexterity  that  they  managed  to  shut  the  door, 
so  its  banging  might  not  attract  the  orderly's  at- 
tention. They  thus  found  themselves  outside  the 
fortress  within  fifteen  minutes  of  the  time  they 
had  escaped.  They  stopped  and  listened  for 
a  moment,  but  evidently  no  alarm  had  yet  been 
given. 

19 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

"  We  shall  hear  the  guns,  though,  as  soon  as 
the  carriage  reaches  the  postern  gate,  if  not  before ; 
and  after  that — ''  said  St.  Arnaud. 

Gavin  only  pointed  before  them.  "  Yonder  are 
the  mountains.  We  cannot  see  them — so  much  the 
better — no  one  can  see  us.  The  frontier  is  twenty 
English  miles  away,  and  we  should  gain  it  before 
daylight." 

With  the  blood  leaping  in  their  veins  at  the 
thought  of  liberty,  even  for  an  hour,  they  plunged 
forward  through  the  fog.  The  snow  made  walking 
difficult,  but  they  felt  as  light  of  foot  as  the 
chamois  among  the  hills.  They  sped  along  in  spite 
of  every  obstacle,  and  when,  within  half  an  hour,  the 
report  of  the  three  alarm  guns  rumbled  through  the 
heavy  air,  they  had  already  gained  a  considerable 
distance.  The  darkness  and  the  fog  made  it  im- 
possible for  them  to  know  precisely  in  what  direc- 
tion they  were  going ;  they  only  knew  that  they  had 
got  among  fields  and  hedgerows,  which  they  ar- 
dently hoped  were  in  the  direction  of  the  moun- 
tains. Gavin,  however,  in  the  long  marches  of  the 
past  campaign  had  got  something  of  the  soldier's 
instinct  for  the  right  road,  and  when  toward  mid- 
night the  fog  lifted  and  a  pallid  moon  came  forth, 
they  found  they  were  on  the  right  track  for  the 

80 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

mountains,  although  they  had  not  come  as  straight 
as  they  had  hoped. 

At  intervals  they  had  heard  faint  and  distant 
sounds  indicating  pursuit ;  but  the  damp  air  stifled 
sound.  At  midnight,  though,  when  it  suddenly 
cleared,  they  heard  afar  off  the  tramping  of  hoofs. 
They  found  themselves  on  a  by-road,  where  there 
were  hedges,  but  no  trees,  and  farmhouses  were 
scattered  about.  All  was  as  still  as  death  except 
for  that  light  but  ominous  echo  of  advancing 
horses  and  men.  The  sound  was  coming  nearer, 
and  the  hoof -beats  could  be  distinctly  heard. 

In  front  of  them  was  a  farmstead,  with  good 
outbuildings,  including  a  cattle  shed  and  stables. 
The  snow  was  much  trodden  thereabouts,  so  that 
their  tracks  would  not  betray  them.  They  found 
both  the  shed  and  the  stable  doors  locked,  but  the 
stable  window  was  left  open  for  ventilation.  They 
crawled  in  the  window,  and  found  a  ladder  leading 
to  the  loft,  which  was  stored  with  hay.  In  two 
minutes  they  were  concealed  under  it.  In  ten  min- 
utes more  a  squad  of  cavalry  had  ridden  up,  and 
every  farmhouse  was  astir  with  the  news  they 
brought.  Two  prisoners  had  escaped,  and  the  com- 
mandant would  pay  a  hundred  florins  for  either  of 
them.  The  stable  door  was  flung  open,  and  the 

81 
6 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

fanner  who  o^vned  the  place  and  his  two  sons  sad- 
dled the  horses,  arranging  their  plans  in  full  hear- 
ing of  the  fugitives  just  above  their  heads.  The 
business  of  the  squad  of  cavalry  was  to  arouse  the 
country,  rather  than  personally  hunt  for  the  fugi- 
tives. They  soon  passed  on,  therefore,  and  in  a 
little  while  most  of  the  men  in  the  hamlet  had 
joined  in  the  search,  while  the  rest  returned  to  bed. 

The  hay  in  the  loft  was  warm  and  dry,  and  Gav- 
in and  St.  Arnaud  were  terribly  fatigued,  and 
they  longed  to  take  rest  until  morning;  but  the 
hours  of  darkness  were  precious  to  them.  They 
waited  until  everything  had  quieted  down,  and  then, 
starting  forth  from  their  hiding-place,  resumed  the 
march  toward  the  mountains. 

They  trudged  along,  somewhat  guided  by  their 
map,  and  although  they  caught  sight  more  than 
once  of  pursuing  parties,  they  managed  to  conceal 
themselves,  but  they  knew  they  could  not  expect  to 
be  so  fortunate  in  broad  daylight. 

The  dawn  came  clear  and  beautiful,  and  bearing 
no  trace  of  the  fog  of  the  night  before.  The  Bohemi- 
an mountains,  only  ten  English  miles  away,  loomed 
darkly  beautiful  on  the  horizon.  The  snow  lay 
deep  upon  the  whole  earth  w^hen  the  first  golden 
shafts  of  light  struck  the  mountain-tops  from  the 

82 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

east;  as  the  sun  rose  in  glory,  they  glowed  milk 
white  against  a  sky  all  blue  and  gold  and  rose- 
coloured.  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  saw  the  exquisite 
sunrise  with  heavy  hearts;  a  clear  day  made  the 
chances  of  their  eluding  pursuit  for  ten  miles  still 
more  hazardous.  They  were  half  dead  with  fa- 
tigue, after  their  weeks  of  close  confinement ;  they 
were  foot-sore  and  hungry,  but  their  spirits  were 
unfaltering,  and  no  word  of  complaint  escaped 
them. 

They  had  avoided  the  highway,  although  they 
knew  that  every  lane,  by-road,  and  hedgerow  would 
be  searched  for  them ;  and  as  the  day  fully  broke, 
they  found  themselves  in  a  pleasant  rolling  country, 
somewhat  off  the  usual  line  of  travel,  with  many 
houses  of  a  good  class,  but  barren  of  woods.  Im- 
mediately before  them  was  a  pleasant  villa,  with  a 
tall  yew  hedge  all  around  it.  As  they  trudged  past 
they  noticed  a  kind  of  natural  alcove  in  the  hedge, 
in  which  they  were  tolerably  concealed  from  view ; 
and  they  threw  themselves  down  for  a  moment 
to  rest  their  weary  limbs  and  study  their  rude 
map. 

Soon  they  heard  merry  voices  and  laughter  on 
the  other  side  of  the  hedge.  Two  milkmaids  were 
at  their  work,  and  as  the  milk  foamed  into  the 

83 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

pails  they  laughed  and  chatted  about  the  events 
of  the  night  before. 

"  Such  a  night ! ''  cried  one.  "  Troopers  all  over 
the  place  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  and  Miss 
Llein  screamed  so  loud  when  the  officer  caught  her 
in  her  curl  papers  that  he  thought  she  had  certainly 
concealed  the  two  prisoners  in  the  house." 

"How  sorry  I  am  to  have  missed  it !  "  replied  the 
other  one.  "  This  place  is  so  dull,  nothing 
happening  from  one  week's  end  to  another,  that  I 
even  like  the  notion  of  being  routed  out  as  you  were 
last  night.  The  truth  is,  I  don't  fancy  living  with 
these  quiet,  prim  ladies,  like  Miss  Hein.  I  would 
rather  live  in  a  large  family,  with  plenty  of  ser- 
vants, and  gay  doings  below  stairs." 

Gavin  peeped  through  an  opening  in  the  hedge. 
The  milkmaid  plunged  into  a  description  of  the 
adventures  of  the  night  before,  when  the  house 
and  offices  had  been  searched  for  the  two  fugitives ; 
and  in  the  excitement  of  her  tale  she  stopped  milk- 
ing. Her  back  and  that  of  her  companion  was 
toward  Gavin,  and  the  milk  bucket  was  just  within 
reach  of  his  arm.  He  noiselessly  thrust  his  arm 
through  the  opening  and,  reaching  the  milk  pail, 
raised  it  as  high  as  he  could,  and  St.  Arnaud,  tip- 
toeing over  the  hedge,  took  it.    There  was  about  a 

84 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

quart  of  milk  in  it,  and  first  St.  Arnaud  taking  a 
pull  at  it,  and  then  Gavin,  it  was  emptied  in  a 
minute.  Gavin's  long  arm  then  replaced  it,  and 
they  resumed  their  places  of  concealment.  A 
shriek  of  dismay  presently  informed  them  that  the 
milkmaid  had  found  her  bucket  empty.  The  cow 
having  strayed  off,  too,  there  was  great  excitement 
for  a  while,  but  both  the  women  moved  away  from 
the  hedge,  marvelling  the  while  over  the  strange 
disappearance  of  the  milk. 

St.  Arnaud,  turning  to  Gavin,  said :  "  We  shall 
be  caught  before  twelve  o'clock  if  we  attempt  to 
make  across  the  country  in  this  clear  weather. 
This  place  has  been  searched  once,  and  is  not  likely 
to  be  searched  again.  I  believe  our  best  chance  is 
to  remain  here." 

"How?  "asked  Gavin. 

"  I  will  show  you,  if  you  will  have  confidence  in 
me." 

A  look  was  Gavin's  only  answer  to  this. 

St.  Arnaud  then,  with  Gavin,  made  his  way  bold- 
ly to  the  front  door  of  the  house  and  knocked  loudly. 
Another  maid  opened  the  door,  and  from  the  smirk 
she  wore,  she,  too,  thought  it  rather  amusing  to 
have  a  sensation  occasionally  as  they  had  had  the 
night  before.     But  there  was  no  smirk  upon  the 

85 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

face  of  Hiss  Hein,  a  tall,  thin,  lugubrious-looking 
lady,  with  a  not  unkind  face,  who  appeared  be- 
hind her. 

"  Madam,'^  said  St.  Arnaud  to  Miss  Hein,  with 
a  low  bow,  "  I  hear  that  you  were  very  much  dis- 
turbed last  night  by  the  searching  of  your  house 
for  two  runaways  from  the  fortress.  I  have  come 
to  make  you  every  apology.  We  are  officers,  as  you 
see.  The  officer  last  night  was  a  mere  subaltern, 
and,  although  zealous,  he  evidently  •'did  not  know 
how  to  perform  an  unpleasant  duty." 

"  He  certainly  did  not,"  replied  Miss  Hein 
tartly. 

"  Ah,  madam,"  cried  St.  Arnaud  sentimentally, 
"  would  that  I  had  come  in  the  first  instance !  I 
would  not  have  disturbed  you  in  the  least.  Any 
complaint  you  have  to  make  about  the  officer  or 
men  I  will  attend  to  with  pleasure." 

Miss  Hein,  whose  placid  house  had  been  the 
scene  of  such  unusual  turmoil,  was  immensely 
pleased  at  the  different  tone  that  this  supposed 
Prussian  officer  took  with  her,  and  bowing  politely, 
invited  them  to  enter.  "  And  as  you  have  probably 
been  all  night  searching  for  the  fugitives,  you  must 
be  both  tired  and  hungry,  and  I  will  have  break- 
fast for  you." 

86 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Oavin  could  hardly  restrain  a  shout  of  joy. 

Miss  Hein  took  them  into  a  comfortable  sitting- 
room  on  the  first  floor,  and  while  waiting  for  break- 
fast to  be  prepared  St.  Arnaud  made  such  good 
use  of  his  time  and  tongue  that  the  poor  lady  was 
completely  w^on  over.  He  begged  that  she  would 
give  them  the  honour  of  her  presence  while  they 
breakfasted,  which  she  graciously  did.  St.  Ar- 
naud asked  if  handbills  had  yet  reached  them  de- 
scribing the  escaped  prisoners,  and  with  a  deep 
feeling  of  joy  heard  they  had  not.  At  this  Gavin 
said  for  the  benefit  of  the  servant  waiting  on  them, 
as  well  as  Miss  Hein : 

"  I  can  tell  you  what  they  are  like.  St.  Arnaud 
is  a  great  big,  red-headed  fellow  with  a  terrible 
squint — ^you  would  know  the  man  to  be  a  rascal 
anywhere.  His  manners  are  harsh,  and  his  voice 
is  like  sawing  wood  with  a  dull  saw." 

St.  Arnaud,  determined  not  to  be  outdone,  broke 
in :  "  And  the  other  one,  Hamilton  by  name,  would 
be  taken  for  a  girl  dressed  up  in  man's  clothes — a 
weak,  puling  creature,  and  universally  considered 
the  ugliest  man  in  the  French  army.'' 

"  Do  you  hear  that,  Martha  ?  "  said  Miss  Hein  to 
the  maid.  "  Kemember  it  and  tell  the  other  ser- 
vants." 

87 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

A  good  breakfast  had  very  much  raised  the  spir- 
its of  the  two  fugitives,  but  they  realized  that  they 
were  in  jeopardy  every  moment.  St.  Arnaud, 
after  reflecting  a  moment,  said  to  Miss  Hein: 
"  Would  it  be  asking  too  much  of  your  kindness 
to  let  a  couple  of  tired  Prussian  officers  sleep  a 
few  hours  in  your  house  ?  We  have  been  travelling 
all  night — I  will  explain  later  why  we  have  no 
horses — and  we  are  overcome  with  fatigue." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Miss  Hein,  who  had  been 
completely  won  by  her  amiable  guests.  "  I  myself 
am  leaving  in  my  travelling  chaise  this  afternoon, 
to  pay  a  visit  of  some  days  in  the  town  of  Glatz, 
and  I  will  take  you  both  with  pleasure.  The  chaise 
seats  four.  Meanwhile,  you  may  take  your  rest  in 
an  upper  chamber.  I  am  glad  to  show  hospitality 
to  officers  who  know  so  well  how  to  treat  a  helpless 
TToman." 

They  were  shown  upstairs  into  a  comfortable 
room  with  two  beds.  As  they  shut  and  locked  the 
door,  they  looked  earnestly  at  each  other.  St.  Ar- 
naud, without  a  word,  tumbled  into  on©  of  the  beds, 
saying ;  "  We  may  never  come  out  of  this  room 
alive ;  but  let  us  take  our  rest  calmly.  We  are  in 
the  hands  of  fate." 

"  In  the  hands  of  God,  you  mean — so  my  mother 
88 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

taught  me,"  answered  Gavin ;  and  straightway  he 
plumped  down  on  his  knees  at  the  side  of  the  bed, 
and  said  a  prayer  out  aloud  for  their  success  in 
escaping;  and  then,  throwing  himself  on  the  bed, 
was  asleep  in  two  minutes. 

St.  Arnaud  waked  first.  There  was  a  clock  in 
the  room,  and  he  saw  that  it  was  -GlYQ  o'clock,  and 
the  short  winter  twilight  was  coming  on.  He  shook 
Gavin,  and  in  a  few  moments  they  went  down- 
stairs. Miss  Hein,  in  her  riding-dress,  was  walk- 
ing up  and  down  the  hall  impatiently.  "  I  am 
afraid,''  she  said,  "  it  is  too  late  to  make  our 
start." 

"  That  is  unfortimate,"  responded  St.  Arnaud. 
^^  Would  you,  however,  permit  us  to  use  your  chaise 
to  the  next  posting-house,  which  cannot  be  more 
than  two  miles  away  ?  " 

Miss  Hein  cogitated  for  a  moment.  But  there 
was  a  sweet  persuasiveness  in  St.  Arnaud's  tone 
that  she  had  not  been  able  to  resist  since  the  first 
hour  she  met  him,  and  she  answered  pleasantly : 

"  Yes.    You  have  been  so  polite — " 

"  Oh,  madam,  it  is  you — it  is  your  kindness — 
and  trust  me,  it  will  never  be  forgotten." 

The  chaise  was  before  the  door,  and  Gavin  and 
St.  Arnaud,  bidding  an  adieu  so  warm  that  it 

89 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

brought  the  blood  to  Miss  Hein's  faded  cheek, 
went  out  and  entered  the  carriage.  The  coachman, 
a  country  lout,  drove  off  in  the  direction  of  Glatz. 
As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of  the  house, 
St.  Arnaud  put  his  head  out  of  the  window  and 
said: 

^^  You  are  going  in  the  wrong  direction.  It  is 
the  next  posting-house  toward  the  mountains  that 
we  wish  to  reach."  The  rustic  turned  his  horses 
about,  and  they  travelled  toward  the  mountains 
for  four  miles.  They  were  too  intent  upon  listen- 
ing for  pursuit  and  surprise  to  speak  much,  but 
Gavin  said :  "  It  is  not  often  that  escaped  prisoners 
ride  in  coaches  and  chaises,  as  we  have  done." 

"  Good  Miss  Hein !  "  cried  St.  Arnaud.  "  I  had 
half  a  mind  to  throw  ourselves  on  her  mercy.  I 
believe  there  is  scarcely  a  woman  who  lives  who 
will  not  be  kind  to  an  unfortunate." 

At  the  next  posting-house  they  had  no  trouble  in 
securing  horses.  Miss  Hein^s  chaise  and  servants 
being  well  known.  The  postmaster  and  all  the 
people  were  asking  about  the  fugitives,  and  several 
detachments  of  soldiers  had  visited  the  place  that 
day.  St.  Arnaud,  talking  with  the  postmaster, 
carelessly  asked  if  descriptive  handbills  had  been 
posted  yet. 

90 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  We  are  expecting  them  every  moment,"  replied 
the  man. 

St.  Arnaud  then  gave  a  personal  description 
which  could  not  possibly  apply  to  either  himself  or 
Gavin ;  and,  asking  for  a  private  room,  wrote  Miss 
Hein  a  note  full  of  gratitude,  to  which  he  signed 
a  German  name.  The  chaise  they  had  ordered  soon 
appeared,  and  in  a  little  while  they  were  travelling 
toward  the  frontier. 

When  night  fell  they  were  entering  a  little  moun- 
tain village  marked  with  a  cross  on  their  map; 
and,  driving  through  the  steep  and  straggling 
street,  they  came  to  a  shop  with  a  bag  of  wool 
hanging  in  one  window  and  a  hank  of  yarn  in  the 
other. 

They  knocked,  and  were  asked  to  enter  by  a 
pleasant-faced  w^oman.  The  house  was  a  kind  of 
a  rude  inn,  as  well  as  shop  and  dwelling,  and  half 
a  dozen  peasants  were  gathered  around  a  fire 
on  which  a  pot  was  boiling.  St.  Arnaud  spoke  two 
words — "  Madame  Ziska  " — in  the  woman's  ear, 
and  she  responded  by  an  intelligent  look. 

"  This  is  no  place  for  your  honours,"  she 
said ;  "  I  have  a  little  room  off  that  I  can  give 
you." 

She  led  them  into  a  small  room,  scarcely  more 
91 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

tlian  a  shed,  and  shut  the  door.  "  I  have  change 
for  a  hundred  ducats,"  she  whispered.  ^'  My 
cousin — for  so  Madame  Ziska  is,  although  I  am  not 
fit  to  be  her  waiting-maid — told  me  to  give  you  that 
much  money  out  of  my  savings,  and  you  would  give 
me  a  bank-note  for  it." 

They  quickly  made  the  exchange,  and  both 
eagerly  asked  for  news  of  Madame  Ziska,  but  there 
was  none  since  she  had  passed  through  the  village 
on  her  way  to  Vienna. 

Supper  was  presently  served — the  first  meal  St. 
Arnaud  and  Gavin  had  eaten  in  liberty  since  the 
first  night  of  their  meeting.  They  were  waited  on 
by  a  tall,  handsome,  intelligent-looking  girl,  Bet- 
tina,  the  niece  of  the  hostess.  She  took  them  for 
Prussian  officers,  and  showed  them  the  utmost  ill- 
will.  She  nearly  knocked  Gavin's  head  off  with 
a  platter  when  he  turned  to  ask  her  some  simple 
question,  and  scowled  blackly  at  St.  Arnaud  when 
he  airily  threw  her  a  kiss.  They  were  in  uproari- 
ously high  spirits,  although  they  kept  their  voices 
down  as  much  as  possible. 

"  This  is  magnificent,"  cried  St.  Arnaud,  ladling 
cabbage  soup  into  his  mouth.  "  I  have  altogether 
lost  my  taste  for  pate  de  f oie  gras  and  champagne, 
in  favor  of  cabbage  soup  and  onions,  bacon,  and 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

black  bread.  They  are  the  real  luxuries  of  life." 
To  which  Gavin  agreed. 

St.  Arnaud  then  turned  his  attention  to  the 
sulky  Bettina.  "  What  a  great  stroke  it  would  be 
if  you  capture  those  two  fellows  escaped  from 
Glatz !  You  would  get  two  hundred  florins."  No 
reply  from  Bettina,  except  a  furious  clattering  of 
dishes.  "  You  could  get  married  with  that  por- 
tion," continued  St.  Arnaud. 

"  Not  unless  I  meet  some  men  who  are  a  vast  im- 
provement on  those  who  come  here,"  retaliated 
Bettina,  flouncing  out  angrily. 

Presently  the  woman  of  the  house  entered  and, 
after  refusing  to  take  any  money  for  their  enter- 
tainment, said :  "  You  will  find  outside  a  cart  and 
horse.  They  belong  to  me,  so  you  may  do  as  you 
like  with  them."  She  showed  them  a  way  out  with- 
out passing  through  the  front  part  of  the  house, 
and  there,  in  the  moonlight,  was  a  rough  country 
cart,  and  Bettina  sitting  in  it  to  drive  them.  But 
what  a  change  was  in  her!  Eager,  smiling,  and 
obliging,  she  could  do  nothing  at  first  but  apologize 
for  her  rudeness.  "  I  did  not  know  you  were  Ma- 
dame Ziska's  friends,"  she  protested  a  dozen  times. 

They  mounted  into  the  cart,  and  with  thanks 
that  came  from  the  bottom  of  their  hearts  parted 

93 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

with  their  friend.  They  travelled  on  through  the 
night,  Bettina  driving  rapidly  and  skilfully.  The 
moon  sank,  and  then  came  the  ghastly  hour  between 
night  and  day,  and  presently  a  sunrise  more  glo- 
rious than  they  had  ever  seen,  for  they  were  at 
liberty  and  in  safety. 

Bettina  was  to  leave  them  at  a  small  village 
across  the  frontier,  where  they  hoped  to  get  horses, 
but  were  far  from  certain.  Hearing  them  discuss 
this,  Bettina  said :  "  If  you  like,  you  can  buy  this 
horse  and  cart.  My  aunt  has  been  trying  to  sell 
them  both  for  forty  florins  this  month  past;  she 
wants  to  buy  better  ones." 

"  Here  are  fifty  florins,"  joyfully  cried  St.  Ar- 
naud.    "  But  how  will  you  get  back  home  ?  " 

"  I  can  walk,"  nonchalantly  replied  Bettina, 
"  and  if  I  get  tired  on  the  way,  I  will  wait  for 
the  carrier^s  cart,  which  goes  to  my  village  to- 
day." 

She  got  down  in  the  road,  St.  Arnaud  handed 
her  the  money,  and  she  made  him  promise  to  feed 
the  horse  well;  and  then  St.  Arnaud,  proceeding, 
by  way  of  reward,  to  give  her  a  kiss,  Bettina  raised 
her  strong  arm  and  fetched  him  a  thundering  box 
on  the  ear ;  and  Gavin,  who  was  standing  by  quite 
innocent,  inadvertently  happening  to  laugh,  Betti- 

94 


OF  GAVIN   HAMILTON 

na  gave  him  two  corresponding  slaps  that  nearly 
knocked  him  down,  crying : 

"  Is  that  the  way  you  behave  ?  Til  teach  you 
better  manners,  both  of  you !  "  and  strode  down  the 
road  indignantly,  scorning  to  look  back. 

"  I  thought,"  said  Gavin,  rubbing  his  tingling 
cheeks,  "  that  women  were  always  kind  to  the  un- 
fortunate." 

"  Well,  there  are  exceptions,"  diplomatically  re- 
plied St.  Arnaud.  "  For  my  own  part,  I  am  very 
much  obliged  to  the  young  lady  for  not  giving  me  a 
good  beating ;  she  is  perfectly  capable  of  it,  physi- 
cally as  well  as  morally." 

"  And  we  are  not  unfortunates  any  longer," 
cried  Gavin,  jumping  into  the  cart,  and  giving  the 
patient  horse  a  whack.  "  We  are  free,  we  have 
money,  we  have  this  equipage !  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  St.  Arnaud  gayly,  "  we  will  not 
trouble  with  post-chaises ;  we  will  travel  the  whole 
distance  to  Vienna  in  this  blessed  cart;  we  will 
make  our  entree  as  conspicuously  as  possible.  We 
will  drive  under  the  palace  windows  of  the  Em- 
press Queen  herself,  and  let  her  see  us.  Oh,  we 
will  make  such  an  arrival  into  Vienna  that  it  won't 
be  forgotten  in  a  hurry !  " 

"  We  will !  We  will !  "  shouted  Gavin,  belabour- 
95 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

ing,  in  the  excess  of  his  joy,  the  poor  horse ;  "  and 
we  won't  say  anything  about  the  fond  adieu  we  had 
from  Miss  Bettina." 

Some  weeks  after  this,  on  a  brilliant  winter 
morning,  the  last  day  of  the  year,  all  Vienna  was 
astir  for  a  great  military  review.  The  Empress 
Queen,  undaunted  by  the  disasters  at  Rosbach  and 
Leuthen,  had  determined  to  renew  the  contest  with 
her  old  enemy,  the  King  of  Prussia,  at  the  earliest 
practicable  moment ;  and  to  give  heart  to  her  army 
and  people,  she  appeared  constantly  before  them, 
reviewed  her  troops  often,  and  showed  undimin- 
ished confidence  in  them.  She  had,  it  is  true,  con- 
sented that  her  brother-in-law,  the  Archduke 
Charles,  should  be  relieved  of  the  command  of  the 
army,  in  deference  to  the  popular  will.  But  she, 
the  most  loyal  sovereign  in  the  world  to  all  who 
had  served  her,  took  occasion  to  soften  the  blow  to 
the  Archduke  Charles  by  appearing  with  him  in 
public  and  treating  him  with  a  kindness  that  his 
courage  and  devotion  merited,  although  he  had 
been  vanquished  by  the  superior  genius  of  the  King 
of  Prussia.  She  had,  therefore,  ordered  a  grand 
review  of  the  household  troops,  with  a  number  of 
veterans  of  the  last  campaign.  It  was  a  means  she 
took  of  keeping  up  the  courage  of  her  people, 

96 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

as  well  as  complimenting  a  loyal  but  -unfortunate 
servant.  When  her  enemies  thought  her  nearest 
to  ruin,  then  it  was  that  Maria  Theresa  showed 
herself  so  superior  to  fear  that  she  infused  her  own 
high  courage  into  her  army  and  her  people.  And  for 
this  reason,  when  her  military  fortunes  were  low, 
she  chose  rather  to  act  as  if  disasters  were  mere 
mishaps,  to  be  redeemed  in  another  campaign. 

The  Viennese,  who  love  pageants  better  than 
any  other  people  in  the  world,  were  out  early  to 
see  the  spectacle,  which  did  not  begin  until  ten 
o'clock.  Scarcely  had  the  sun  tipped  the  glorious 
tower  of  the  cathedral  of  St.  Stephen,  and  blazoned 
the  long  lines  of  windows  in  the  Imperial  Palace 
until  they  shone  like  molten  gold,  before  the  streets 
were  thronged  with  citizens  and  people  from  the 
surrounding  country.  The  Empress  Queen  had 
selected  the  broad  and  splendid  plaza  in  front 
of  the  Imperial  Palace  from  which  to  view  the 
march  past,  and  the  multitudes  poured  toward  the 
Stadt,  through  the  narrow  and  tortuous  streets 
which  lead  to  this  region  of  palaces,  museums,  and 
churches.  The  morning  was  clear,  mild,  and  beau- 
tiful, and  the  gay  Viennese  had  apparently  for- 
gotten the  dreadful  day  of  Rosbach  and  the  terrible 
hours  of  Leuthen. 

97 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

The  sunny  air  resounded  with  martial  music  and 
the  steady  tread  of  marching  feet  of  men  and  iron- 
shod  hoofs  of  horses.  Splendid  coaches  bearing 
ambassadors  and  ambassadresses  rolled  majestically 
through  the  streets.  Great  officern  of  state,  resplen- 
dent in  their  orders  and  decorations,  leaving  their 
chariots  wedged  in  the  eager,  curious,  and  noisy 
throng,  made  their  way  on  foot  to  the  palace  doors. 
Military  officers  in  glittering  uniforms,  with  gor- 
geous horse  trappings,  dashed  about  on  their  spir- 
ited chargers.  A  blare  of  trumpets  on  the  one 
hand  was  answered  by  the  quick  music  of  a  mili- 
tary band  on  the  other,  and  the  air  vibrated  with 
the  continuous  clang  of  the  fife  and  drum.  It 
was  the  day  of  glory  of  the  brave  army,  which, 
though  defeated,  stood  ready  to  renew  the  conflict 
with  its  old  enemy  at  the  first  signal.  As  the 
morning  hours  sped  on  toward  ten  o'clock  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  crowds  increased.  The  prospect 
of  seeing  their  Empress  Queen  in  state  always  put 
the  Viennese  in  a  good  humour,  and  the  multitudes 
that  packed  the  streets  leading  toward  the  palace 
were  full  of  merriment  and  in  the  notion  to  be 
pleased  with  everything. 

The  approach  of  the  troops  was  heralded  with 
cheers  that  seemed  to  come  from  miles  away,  and 

OS 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

followed  them  to  the  point  where  the  head  of  the 
first  column  debouched  before  the  palace.  At  the 
same  moment  a  fanfare  of  silver  trumpets  from 
the  trumpeters  of  the  guard  announced  that  the 
Empress  Queen  had  left  the  palace.  The  great 
gates  were  thrown  wide  open,  and  the  Imperial 
body-guard  rode  forth.  This  was  a  magnificent 
battalion  of  men,  all  mounted  on  coal-black  horses, 
and  wearing  brass  helmets  and  cuirasses  that  glit- 
tered in  the  dazzling  light.  After  them  came  the 
Hungarian  contingent,  a  people  between  whom  and 
Maria  Theresa  a  peculiar  bond  of  affection  sub- 
sisted. The  people  greeted  these  with  imitations 
of  the  peculiarly  wild  and  piercing  cries  of  their 
country.  ]Next  rode  the  young  archdukes,  hand- 
some lads,  and  superbly  mounted.  Last,  appeared 
the  Empress  Queen,  mounted  upon  a  noble,  iron- 
gray  charger,  with  the  Emperor  Erancis  on  her 
right  and  the  Archduke  Charles  on  her  left. 

Maria  Theresa  never  looked  more  royal  and  impe- 
rial than  when  on  horseback.  She  rode  with  exquisite 
grace,  and  her  stately  mien  fitly  indicated  her 
brave  spirit.  Although  then  past  her  first  youth 
and  the  mother  of  many  children,  she  was  still  the 
most  graceful  princess  in  Europe;  and  maturity 
had  not  robbed  her  of  her  natural  comeliness.    Her 

99 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

eyes  still  shone  with  star-like  brightness,  and  the 
colour  mounted  beautifully  to  her  cheek  when,  after 
a  moment's  sudden  checking  of  noise,  a  roar  of 
joyous  cheering,  of  wild  hand-clapping,  and  of  mili- 
tary music  clashed  heavenward.  She  had  then  rid- 
den briskly  out  upon  the  open  space,  where,  under 
the  splendid  standards  of  the  Empire,  she  bowed 
right  and  left,  with  an  enchanting  smile.  Maria 
Theresa  loved  to  be  with  her  people,  and  was  as 
happy  to  show  herself  to  them  as  they  were  pleased 
to  see  her.  The  Emperor  Francis,  a  handsome 
man  of  middle  age,  and  his  brother,  the  Archduke 
Charles,  came  in  for  their  share  of  applause,  and 
acknowledged  it  gracefully.  But  the  Empress 
Queen  had  been  for  twenty  years  the  darling  of 
the  people,  and  her  husband  and  children  were 
loved  and  applauded  chiefly  because  they  were  hers. 
The  march  past  then  began.  First  came  a  splen- 
did body  of  cavalry,  hussars,  cuirassiers,  and  dra- 
goons. The  Hungarian  contingent,  led  by  their 
hetmans,  was  gorgeously  picturesque,  and  as  they 
waved  their  swords  and  lances  in  the  air  with  wild 
grace  the  Empress  Queen  responded  with  a  charm- 
ing inclination  of  the  head.  Maria  Theresa  had 
not  forgotten  that  in  her  most  perilous  hour  the  loy- 
alty of  the  Hungarians  had  saved  her  throne  and 
100 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

country  from  the  rapacity  of  Frederick.  Next 
came  the  foot  regiments,  sturdy  men  who  had  with- 
stood the  shock  of  battle,  and  whose  stained  and 
tattered  battle-flags  showed  what  service  they  had 
seen.  The  field  artillery,  then  a  great  novelty  in 
warfare,  followed,  their  long,  bronze  guns,  cast 
with  the  Empress  Queen's  crown  and  cipher  in  the 
metal,  gleaming  dully  in  the  sunlight.  So  brilliant 
was  the  spectacle,  that  the  hours  sped  away,  and  it 
was  long  after  noon  when  the  end  of  the  last  col- 
umn appeared  in  view. 

Among  those  watching  it,  in  the  crowd  of  diplo- 
mats, was  a  slight  but  singularly  high-bred  looking 
man,  evidently  an  Englishman.  He  sat  in  a  plain 
but  handsome  coach,  magnificently  horsed.  All 
who  saw  the  parade  and  the  outburst  of  affectionate 
loyalty  toward  the  Empress  Queen  were  affected 
to  a  certain  degree  by  it  except  this  English  gen- 
tleman. He,  however,  regarded  it  all  with  a  cool 
smile,  and  did  not  speak  except  to  make  some  dis- 
paraging remark  to  an  ofiicer  in  an  English  uni- 
form who  sat  on  horseback  next  the  coach. 

As  the  end  of  the  columns  drew  near  there  was  a 

new  and  sudden  outburst  of  cheering  heard  afar  off, 

mixed  with  laughter ;  the  multitudes  of  people  had 

evidently  seen  something  to  both  please  and  amuse 

101 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

them.  It  was  so  noticeable  that  the  Archduke 
Charles  sent  an  aide  riding  down  the  line,  who 
came  back  smiling.  He  approached  the  Empress 
Queen  and  the  Emperor,  and  said  sometliing  which 
caused  them  both  to  smile,  too.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment the  last  detachment  of  troops  was  passing, 
and  directly  behind  them  came  a.  country  cart, 
drawn  by  a  sorry  horse.  On  a  plank  laid  across  the 
cart  sat  Gavin  Hamilton,  driving.  He  still  wore 
the  enormous  chapeau  and  cloak  of  General  Koll- 
nitz.  The  huge  hat  was  pushed  back,  showing  his 
handsome  bronzed  face,  his  white  teeth  gleaming 
in  a  perpetual  smile ;  while  he  awkwardly  held  up 
the  huge  cloak  in  handling  the  coarse  rope  reins. 

Sitting  in  solitary  magnificence  in  the  body  of 
the  cart  was  St.  Arnaud,  dressed  in  Pfels'  hat  and 
cloak.  He  sat  flat,  with  his  shapely  legs  stretched 
stiffly  out  before  him,  and,  in  contrast  to  Gavin's 
boyish  grins  of  delight,  St.  Arnaud  was  as  perfectly 
grave  and  composed  as  if  in  attendance  upon  roy- 
alty. The  crowds  had  found  out  who  they  were,  and 
shouts  resounded,  and  cries  were  bandied  about. 

"  There  they  are,  in  the  disguise  they  escaped 
in !  They  say  that  Frederick  was  so  angry  when 
he  heard  of  their  getting  away  that  he  burst  a 
blood-vessel ! " 

102 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  And  poor  old  Kollnitz  took  to  his  bed  with 
chagrin,  and  has  never  left  it  since !  "  called  out 
another. 

The  English  gentleman  turned  to  the  officer  on 
horseback  and  said : 

"  What  children  are  these  Viennese !  Because  a 
couple  of  officers  make  a  clever  escape^  and  appear 
riding  in  a  cart,  these  childish  people  go  wild  with 
delight.  Depend  upon  it,  it  is  neither  the  escape 
nor  the  men  who  matter — it  is  the  cart  and  horse 
which  pleases  them." 

"  You  scarcely  do  the  Viennese  justice,  Sir  Gav- 
in," replied  the  officer,  standing  up  in  his  stirrups 
to  look  as  the  cart  approached.  "'  I  recognize  young 
St.  Arnaud  of  Dufour^s  regiment  as  the  officer 
sitting  down;  but  who  is  the  younger  one — evi- 
dently St.  Arnaud's  junior — who  is  driving  ?  " 

Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  stood  up  in  the  coach  and 
looked  attentively  at  the  cart,  which  was  then  pass- 
ing the  royal  party.  Gavin  brought  the  horse  to 
a  standstill,  stood  up,  as  did  St.  Arnaud,  and  both 
respectfully  saluted  the  Empress  Queen. 

"  That  younger  man,"  said  Sir  Gavin,  with  the 
utmost  nonchalance,  "  is  my  son.  He  is  not  my 
heir,  however." 

The  officer  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise, 
103 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

but  Sir  Gavin's  face  remained  quite  impassive. 
"No  one  but  the  oflScer  beard  him,  and  tbe  next 
moment  there  was  a  general  movement  of  the  privi- 
leged bystanders  as  the  royal  party  turned  toward 
the  palace.  Then  an  aide-de-camp  rode  up  to  the 
cart,  and  after  a  few  words  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin 
descended,  and  an  orderly  led  the  equipage  away. 

Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  followed  the  aide.  Cap- 
tain Count  Derschau,  into  the  courtyard  of  the 
palace,  and  to  a  small  door  in  a  wing  of  the  vast 
building.  Entering,  he  showed  them  the  way  to  a 
small  anteroom,  saying : 

*'  You  will  remain  here  until  Her  Majesty  sends 
for  you,  which  will  be  within  half  an  hour ;  "  and 
courteously  excusing  himself,  he  left  them. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Gaviist  and  St.  Arnaud  remained  in  tlie  little 
anteroom  awaiting  the  summons  to  the  Empress 
Queen.  Gavin  sat  quite  silent.  A  resolve  that 
had  taken  possession  of  him  filled  his  heart  as  well 
as  his  mind.  He  dared  not  mention  it  to  St.  Ar- 
naud, for  fear  of  his  disapproval — and  Gavin  loved 
St.  Arnaud  so  much  that  he  could  not  hear  to  op- 
pose him — ^but  his  resolution  was  unshakable.  St. 
Arnaud,  brought  up  in  palaces  and  inured  to  roy- 
alty, yet  felt  something  like  agitation  at  meeting 
the  celebrated  woman  whose  courage  and  constancy 
had  withstood  the  greatest  captain  of  the  age,  Fred- 
erick of  Prussia,  for  more  than  sixteen  years.  But 
he,  too,  remained  silent,  and  in  a  short  half  hour 
the  aide  returned,  and  after  leading  them  through 
a  maze  of  splendid  corridors  and  noble  apartments, 
he  showed  them  into  a  small  and  simply  furnished 
room,  where  the  Emperor  Erancis  sat  alone. 

The  Emperor  rose  at  once ;  for  it  was  the  custom 
of  Francis  of  Lorraine  to  observe  a  charming  sim- 
105 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

plicity  toward  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  in 
contact.  As  consort  of  a  great  and  popular  sov- 
ereign in  her  own  right,  he  chose  rather  to  give  her 
all  precedence,  and  took  but  little  ostensible  share 
in  the  government.  lie  adopted  the  role  of  the 
husband  and  father  only,  well  knowing  that  the 
jealous  and  varied  peoples  composing  the  Austro- 
Hungarian  empire  would  resent  any  open  share  in 
the  government ;  and  although  the  Empress  Queen 
relied  much  on  his  excellent  sense  and  judgment, 
she  was  herself  the  ruler  of  her  people. 

Gavin  watched  St.  Arnaud's  way  of  responding 
to  the  approaches  of  royalty,  and  followed  him 
closely.  There  could  have  been  no  better  example, 
as  St.  Arnaud,  while  perfectly  respectful,  was  far 
from  servile.  The  easy  affability  of  the  Emperor 
put  them  entirely  at  their  ease,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments the  door  opened  and  the  Empress  Queen 
walked  in. 

The  nearer  view  of  Maria  Theresa  was  still  more 
pleasing  and  impressive  than  seeing  her  at  a  dis- 
tance. Her  commanding  talents,  and  the  lofty 
dignity  which  she  naturally  acquired  as  a  reigning 
sovereign  in  her  own  right,  were  adorned  by  a 
beautiful  feminine  softness.  The  woman  who  was 
not  afraid  to  face  Frederick  the  Great,  with  his 
106 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

warrior  army,  was  likewise  gentle,  considerate, 
and  engaging. 

Unlike  Frederick,  who  valued  men  solely  for 
their  intellectual  qualities,  Maria  Theresa  trusted 
much  to  the  excellence  of  their  hearts,  and,  con- 
sequently, where  one  was  feared,  the  other  was 
loved. 

The  Emperor,  who  scrupulously  observed  the 
deference  due  his  wife^s  rank,  rose  and  remained 
standing  until  the  Empress  Queen  had  seated  her- 
self. Then  turning  to  St.  Arnaud,  as  the  eldest, 
she  said : 

"  I  and  the  Emperor  have  been  much  pleased 
to  hear  of  the  escape  of  you  and  your  brother  officer 
from  Glatz.  I  shall  need  every  man  who  can  carry 
a  sword  in  the  next  campaign.  Will  you  tell  us  the 
particulars  of  your  capture?  And  meanwhile, 
pray  be  seated.'^ 

St.  Arnaud  promptly  began  his  relation.  He 
told  the  circumstances  of  Gavin  and  himself  meet- 
ing after  Rosbach,  and  was  careful  to  say  that  but 
for  that  meeting  he  would  have  perished  on  that 
NTovember  night.  He  then  described  their  going 
to  the  country  house,  their  finding  there  a  lady 
travelling  with  only  a  servant — Madame  Ziska. 

"  Madame  Ziska ! ''  cried  the  Empress  Queen, 
107 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

turning  to  the  Emperor.  "  'No  one  has  told  me  of 
this.  You  must  know/'  she  added,  to  St.  Arnaud 
and  Gavin,  "  that  Madame  Ziska  is  highly  re- 
spected here,  and  I  selected  her  on  account  of 
her  good  sense  and  discretion,  as  well  as  her  accom- 
plishments, to  teach  dancing  to  our  children." 

"  We  can  testify,  your  Majesty,  to  her  excellent 
heart  as  well  as  her  admirable  mind,  for  it  was  she 
who  conveyed  the  money  to  us  which  made  our 
escape  possible,''  replied  St.  Arnaud. 

He  then  described  their  evening  with  her,  and  the 
sudden  appearance  of  the  King  of  Prussia.  At 
the  mention  of  the  name  of  her  great  enemy,  Maria 
Theresa  coloured  deeply.  She  not  only  opposed 
Frederick  as  the  enemy  of  her  country,  but  she 
resented  his  conduct  to  her  as  a  woman ;  and  when 
that  part  of  the  narrative  was  reached  in  which 
St.  Arnaud  described  Frederick's  indifference  to 
their  fate  next  day,  after  their  evening  of  jolly 
companionship,  she  smiled  contemptuously. 

But  she  smiled  with  the  utmost  graciousness 
when  St.  Arnaud  said : 

"  We  both  refused  the  parole  offered  us,  because 
we  could  not  bring  ourselves  to  accept  any  favour 
that  would  prevent  us  from  drawing  our  swords 
in  the  service  of  your  Majesty." 
108 


OE  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

At  this  Gavin  broke  forth,  his  colour  rising,  his 
eyes  moist,  and  his  voice  ringing  with  emotion : 

"  But,  your  Majesty,  although  I  would  fight  for 
you  to  the  last  drop  of  my  blood  I  have  no  sword 
to  draw,  unless  you,  out  of  your  goodness,  give  me 
one ;  for  I  am  but  a  private  soldier.  He  " — point- 
ing to  St.  Arnaud — ^'  was  too  generous  to  tell  it 
of  me,  but  I  was  only  a  private  in  the  ranks  of 
Dufour's  regiment,  in  which  he  w^as  a  captain.  I 
am  a  gentleman,  however,  and  I  stand  up  and  say 
to  all  the  world  I  am  not  unworthy  to  wear  an 
officer's  sword  in  the  army  of  any  sovereign  on 
earth!" 

Gavin  suddenly  choked,  and  turning  to  St.  Ar- 
naud, cried : 

"  Tell  it  for  me,  St.  Arnaud,  for  I  cannot,"  and 
walked  away  to  a  window  to  hide  his  agitation. 

St.  Arnaud  was  somewhat  disconcerted  at  Gav- 
in's outbreak,  but  in  response  to  a  word  of  inquiry 
from  the  Empress  Queen  replied : 

"  What  he  says  is  true.  He  is  the  son  of  Sir 
Gavin  Hamilton,  who  has  ill-used  him  and  his 
mother,  and  this  young  man  was  forced  to  take 
service  in  the  ranks.  But  he  is  well  educated,  as 
your  Majesty  perceives  by  his  language,  and  that 
he  has  the  character  and  feelings  of  a  gentleman 
109 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

is  proved  by  his  treatment  of  his  father.  For  when 
Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  offered  him  everything,  pro- 
vided he  would  abandon  his  mother,  this  youth 
refused,  and  chose  rather  poverty  and  obscurity 
than  to  cast  dishonour  upon  his  mother,  who  is  Sir 
Gavin's  true  and  lawful  wife." 

The  Emperor,  at  this,  said  calmly : 

"I  heard  only  a  few  moments  before  you  entered 
this  room  that  the  young  man  was  Sir  Gavin's 
son.  Sir  Gavin  is  at  present  in  Vienna.  Although 
England  has  left  the  ranks  of  our  allies  to  join 
our  enemies,  yet,  by  mutual  arrangement,  citizens 
of  one  country  are  not  obliged  to  leave  the  other 
until  a  fixed  period.  Sir  Gavin  has  availed 
himself  of  this  provision,  and  even  appears  at 
court  as  usual.  I  was  told  by  Captain  von  Kosen 
that  when  you  appeared  riding  in  the  cart  at  the 
end  of  the  parade.  Sir  Gavin  said  to  him :  ^  The 
younger  man  is  my  son,  but  not  my  heir.'  I  deter- 
mined to  inquire  into  the  matter." 

Gavin,  at  this,  came  from  his  retreat  in  the  win- 
dow, and  cried: 

"  Sir  Gavin  might  have  said  that  to  Baron  von 

Rosen,  but  if  he  ever  said  so  much  to  me,  I  would 

use  my  two  fists  on  him  as  I  did  once  before.     Eor, 

your  Majesty,  such  words  are  a  reflection  on  my 

110 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

mother;  and  no  man  that  lives,  be  he  my  father 
ten  thousand  times  over,  shall  say  one  word  against 
my  mother  without  my  doing  him  the  worst  injury 
I  can  in  return  for  it.  My  mother  is  Lady  Hamil- 
ton, and  Sir  Gavin  admitted  it  when  he  threatened 
me  with  divorcing  my  mother,  after  having  aban- 
doned her  many  years  ago.  But  I  defied  him  to  do 
it,  and  he  dares  not  attempt  it.  'Not  will  my 
mother  be  driven  or  frightened  into  a  divorce; 
for  she  is  a  brave  lady,  and  will  not  do  anything 
that  may  one  day  impair  my  rights  or  my  stand- 
ing." 

The  Empress  Queen  listened  with  shining  eyes. 
To  no  one  could  an  appeal  to  the  feelings  be  made 
more  safely  than  to  Maria  Theresa. 

"  How  does  life  repeat  itself !  '^  she  said. 
'^  Here  is  this  mother,  who  holds  tenaciously  to 
her  rights  for  her  child's  sake — for  I  believe  every 
word  you  have  told  me.  So  do  I  hold  on  to  all  my 
rights,  when  the  King  of  Prussia  would  ravage 
them  from  me,  determined  to  transmit  to  my  son 
his  heritage  unimpaired.  !Nor  is  it  lost  on  me," 
she  said,  turning  to  Gavin,  with  the  sweetest  smile 
— "  the  son  who  is  faithful  to  his  mother  in  pov- 
erty and  obscurity,  rather  than  to  the  father  in 
power  and  splendour.  Therefore,  you  may  look  to 
111 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

me  as  a  friend.  You  say  you  are  a  private  soldier. 
Captain  St.  Arnaud  says  you  are  anxious  to  be  an 
officer.  Before  this  day  is  over  you  shall  have  a 
sublieutenant's  commission  in  my  army." 

Gavin  stood  silent,  stunned  by  his  good  fortune. 

"  And,"  added  the  Emperor,  "  I  will  give  you 
the  sword  that  her  Majesty  deems  you  worthy  to 
wear." 

Going  to  a  cabinet  in  the  room,  he  unlocked  it, 
and  revealed  a  number  of  handsome  swords  suit- 
able for  various  occasions.  Selecting  one,  a  light 
but  elegant  blade,  he  handed  it  to  the  Empress 
Queen  with  much  grace,  saying : 

"He  will  value  it  more  from  your  hand." 

The  joy  in  Gavin's  face  when,  dropping  upon 
his  knee,  he  received  the  sword  from  Maria 
Theresa  transfigured  him.  It  meant  honour,  glory, 
the  recognition  of  his  honourable  birth — all  of  those 
things  most  precious  to  him  and  which  had  seemed 
so  hopelessly  far  away.  He  kissed  the  hilt  of  the 
sword  reverently  as  he  received  it,  but  he  could 
not  speak.  He  bowed  low  to  the  Emperor,  and 
then  suddenly  turning  to  St.  Arnaud — his  happi- 
ness overcoming  his  usually  acquired  habits  of 
restraint — and  seizing  him,  kissed  and  hugged  him 
violently. 

112 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

This  natural  abandon,  which  would  have  of- 
fended many  sovereigns,  touched  and  also  amused 
the  Empress  Queen;  and  when  -Gavin  recovered 
himself,  and  stood,  blushing  and  appalled  at  his 
breach  of  etiquette,  both  Maria  Theresa  and  the 
Emperor  Erancis  were  laughing  heartily.  The 
sight  of  Gavin's  face,  flushed  and  sparkling,  his 
mouth  quivering,  yet  full  of  smiles,  the  boyish 
dimples  in  his  cheek  showing,  and  his  lithe,  strong 
body  trembling  with  happiness,  appealed  to  the 
exquisitely  human  heart  of  Maria  Theresa.  She 
saw  in  him  a  soul  capable  of  the  greatest  devotion 
to  her. 

"  Your  commission  will  be  sent  you  to-day. 
Lieutenant  Hamilton,"  she  said,  with  an  air  of  the 
utmost  sweetness ;  "  and  you.  Captain  St.  Arnaud, 
will  have  your  wishes  fulfilled  in  any  way  pos- 
sible.'' 

Then,  with  a  graceful  bow  of  dismissal,  she 
rose  from  her  chair.  St.  Arnaud,  with  a  few  ap- 
propriate words  of  gratitude,  bowed  himself  out, 
followed  by  Gavin.  But  before  the  door  closed  the 
Empress  Queen  and  the  Emperor  heard  Gavin's 
eager  whisper,  as  he  said : 

"  That  noble  queen  and  lady  won't  forget  us 
by  to-morrow  morning,  as  the  King  of  Prussia 
113 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

did ;  "  which  speech  by  no  means  hurt  Gavin  in  the 
opinion  of  the  imperial  pair.  Another  person  that 
heard  him  was  Count  Derschau,  who  awaited  them 
outside  the  door. 

St.  Arnaud  was  well  versed  in  courts,  and  fore- 
seeing that  Gavin  would  always  be  saying  and 
doing  unconventional  things,  he  concluded  to  let 
the  imperial  circle  understand  that  the  Empress 
Queen  and  the  Emperor  were  pleased  with  Gavin^s 
naivete — and  when  sovereigns  are  pleased,  cour- 
tiers dare  not  find  fault.  He,  therefore,  began  to 
tell,  in  his  calm  and  easy  manner,  of  Gavin's  late 
behaviour,  and  their  majesties'  reception  of  it,  at 
which  Gavin  blushed  and  Count  Derschau  shouted 
with  laughter. 

They  were  then  passing  along  a  gallery  from 
which  they  could  look  down  into  a  large,  square 
room  with  a  polished  floor,  where  the  royal  chil- 
dren were  assembled,  with  their  governesses,  for 
their  dancing  lesson.  A  couple  of  fiddlers  were 
tuning  up,  w^hen  the  door  opened  and  in  walked 
Madame  Ziska. 

Gavin  was  like  to  have  leaped  over  the  rail- 
ing of  the  gallery  in  his  delight  and  surprise  at 
the  unexpected  meeting,  and  St.  Arnaud  said  a,t 
once  to  Count  Derschau :  ^ 
114 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  Would  it  be  contrary  to  custom  if  we  should 
speak  to  that  lady  who  is  entering?  She  is  the 
one  who  assisted  us  so  materially  in  our  escape. 
We  could  not  have  got  out  without  her." 

"  Certainly,"  responded  Count  Derschau.  "  You 
must  know,  monsieur,  that  this  is  a  court  where  all 
that  is  natural  and  simple  prevails.  Besides  the 
cares  of  empire,  her  Majesty  has  the  welfare  of  her 
ten  children  at  heart,  as  much  as  any  house  mother 
in  her  empire.  The  Emperor  is  the  same;  and 
so,  although  the  Imperial  Court  does  not,  as  you 
perceive,  lack  dignity,  yet  it  is  less  trammelled 
by  etiquette  than  any  court  in  Europe.  It  is  like 
one  great  family,  of  which  the  Empress  Queen 
and  Emperor  are  mother  and  father  to  us  all." 

Count  Derschau  led  them  down  a  stairway  which 
opened  upon  the  dancing-room,  and  advancing  to 
the  lady  in  charge  of  the  royal  children,  presented 
St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin,  with  the  request  that  they 
might  speak  to  Madame  Ziska;  to  which  she  at 
once  agreed. 

Madame  Ziska  was  at  the  end  of  the  large  room 
on  her  knees  before  the  little  two-year-old  Arch- 
duchess Marie  Antoinette,  that  lovely  and  most 
unfortunate  princess,  whose  fair  head  was  one  day 
to  fall  beneath  the  axe  of  the  guillotine.  She  was 
115 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

too  young  to  be  regularly  taught  to  dance,  but  Ma- 
dame Ziska,  leading  her  by  her  tiny  hand,  and  sing- 
ing softly  to  her,  she  made  little  steps,  and  laughed 
in  baby  glee  at  her  own  performance. 

But  hearing  familiar  voices,  Madame  Ziska 
turned,  and  flying  forward,  the  next  moment  she 
had  grasped  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  each  by  a 
hand,  and  was  laughing  and  crying  with  pleasure 
at  seeing  them.  * 

"  Where  should  we  have  been  without  you ! '' 
cried  Gavin,  squeezing  her  hand  witli  rapture. 

"  In  the  prison  at  Glatz,  eating  our  miserable 
hearts  out,"  answered  St.  Arnaud.  "  And  the 
money — a  hundred  ducats — oh,  what  a  fortune  it 
was  to  us !  " 

"  It  was  nothing,  if  it  served  to  release  two 
brave  men  to  fight  for  the  Empress  Queen ;  for  let 
me  tell  you,  you  must  be  hers,  body  and  soul,  as  I 
am." 

"  We  are — we  are.  Wait  until  we  tell  you  of  our 
interview  with  her  Majesty  just  now,"  replied 
Gavin,  with  all  his  heart  shining  in  his  eyes. 

"  I  long  to  speak  with  you,"  said  Madame  Ziska, 
"  but  I  must  now  give  the  archdukes  and  arch- 
duchesses their  dancing  lesson.  Come  to  my  house 
— in  the  Teinfeltstrasse — you  can  easily  find  it — 
116 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

at  five  o'clock,  and  remain  to  supper  with  niy  hus- 
band, my  children,  and  me.  We  will  talk  all 
night,  that  I  promise  you." 

Making  a  low  bow  to  the  lady  in  charge,  Ma- 
dame Ziska  then  began  her  task,  while  Derschau, 
with  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin,  withdrew. 

"  Madame  Ziska  is  well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected in  Vienna,  as  you  may  judge  by  her  being 
dancing  mistress  to  the  imperial  children,''  said 
Derschau.  "  She  is  also  first  dancer  at  the  opera. 
She  is  the  wife  of  Count  Kalenga,  an  Hungarian 
nobleman.  Ziska  is  only  her  stage  name.  He  mar- 
ried her,  to  the  ruin  of  his  worldly  prospects.  He 
was  disinherited  by  his  family  for  it,  and  Madame 
Ziska's  profession  and  her  humble  origin  made  it 
impossible  for  her  to  be  recognized  in  Viennese 
society.  Nevertheless,  they  lived  very  happily  to- 
gether upon  the  small  remnant  of  his  fortune  that 
remained  to  them  until  about  four  years  ago. 
Kalenga,  who  was  one  of  the  handsomest  men  in 
the  world,  became  a  hopeless  paralytic.  Madame 
Ziska,  who  has  retained,  as  you  see,  her  youth  and 
grace,  returned  to  the  stage,  and  by  her  own  exer- 
tions maintains  her  husband  and  family,  giving 
Kalenga  all  the  comforts  that  his  sad  condition  re- 
quires.    The  Empress  Queen,  who  is  herself  the 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

best  of  wives  and  mothers,  determined  to  encour- 
age Madame  Ziska  by  employing  her  as  dancing 
mistress  to  the  imperial  children.  As  you  see, 
although  of  humble  birth,  she  is  far  superior  to 
most  of  her  profession.  Her  husband  has  educated 
her,  and  to-day  she  is  one  of  the  most  accomplished 
women  in  Vienna." 

"  We  know  it,''  replied  St.  Arnaud.  "  Her  con- 
versation charmed  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  the 
tender,  womanly  interest  she  took  in  two  strangers 
and  prisoners  showed  that  her  sympathies  were 
large  enough  to  go  beyond  the  narrow  circle  of  her 
family." 

They  were  then  arrived  at  the  small  door  of  the 
palace  by  which  they  had  entered,  and  Derschau 
bade  them  a  courteous  farewell,  after  engaging 
to  receive  the  promised  commission  for  Gavin,  and 
keep  it  until  he  called  for  it  next  day. 

Five  o'clock  found  them  before  the  door  of  a 
comfortable  house  in  the  Teinfeltstrasse.  The  door 
was  opened  by  Madame  Ziska  herself,  who  led 
them  to  a  pleasant  room  opening  into  a  garden. 
Through  the  glass  they  could  see  Count  Kalenga, 
muffled  up,  and  sitting  in  a  wheel-chair.  Two 
handsome  boys  of  ten  and  twelve  were  pushing  the 
chair  to  a  sheltered  spot  warmed  by  the  last  rays 
118 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

of  the  setting  sun,  two  younger  girls  leaning  on 
their  father's  lap ;  he  was  evidently  telling  them  a 
story,  to  which  all  four  were  listening.  The  scene 
touched  both  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud,  who  knew 
the  story  of  the  man  so  physically  afflicted,  but  so 
blessed  with  the  devotion  of  a  wife  and  children. 
"  Derschau  has  told  you  my  story  and  my  hus- 
band's, I  know,"  said  Madame  Ziska  good-hu- 
mouredly.  "  He  is  a  pleasant  fellow,  but  a  great 
gossip — everybody  knows  everything  that  Der- 
schau knows.  But  seeing  my  husband,  even  as  he 
is  now  " — she  pointed  to  Count  Kalenga,  who  was 
being  wheeled  toward  the  house  by  the  two  boys — 
and  her  soft  eyes  filled  with  tears,  "  are  you  sur- 
prised that  a  young  and  tender-hearted  girl  should 
have  married  him?  The  time  came  when  I  re- 
proached myself  bitterly  for  having  done  it,  after 
I  saw  that  it  cost  him  his  fortune  and  most  of  his 
association  with  his  equals.  But  if  he  ever  re- 
gretted it,  he  was  too  noble  to  let  me  suspect  it. 
And  when  his  affliction  came  upon  him,  could  I 
ever  do  enough  to  show  my  devotion  to  him  ?  Ah, 
do  you  wonder  that  I  try  to  make  myself  his  com- 
panion by  reading,  by  studying — that  every  mo- 
ment I  spend  away  from  him  I  grudge  ?  Yet  it  is 
sweetened  by  the  thought  that  I  am  labouring  for 
119 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

him  and  our  cliildren.  And  at  the  opera,  when  the 
idle  young  men  throw  me  bouquets  and  write 
verses  to  me,  my  only  thought  is,  '  It  will  make 
my  husband  smile  ' — it  amuses  him  very  much ; 
and  when  I  find  a  jewel  in  a  bouquet  I  very  quick- 
ly exchange  it  for  something  to  make  his  lot  more 
comfortable."  She  rose  while  she  was  speaking, 
and  opening  the  door,  the  chair  was  rolled  in. 

As  Madame  Ziska  said,  a  view  of  her  husband 
made  it  quite  plain  why  he  won  the  heart  of  a 
young  and  impressionable  girl.  His  countenance, 
still  handsome,  was  full  of  candour  and  intelligence, 
and  his  figure,  in  spite  of  his  dreadful  affliction, 
retained  its  military  uprightness.  The  little  girls, 
Gretchen  and  Freda,  unfastened  his  cloak  and  re- 
moved his  fur  cap  and  gloves,  while  the  lads,  Franz 
and  Carl,  well  trained  and  polite,  stood  silent  near 
him,  ready  to  be  of  service. 

"  You  know  who  these  friends  are,  Franz,"  said 
Madame  Ziska  to  Count  Kalenga.  St.  Amaud 
and  Gavin  shook  hands  cordially  with  Kalenga, 
who  greeted  them  with  the  utmost  grace  and  kind- 
ness. The  children  were  then  dismissed,  and  Ma- 
dame Ziska,  drawing  her  chair  to  the  fire,  said : 

"  Thank  heaven  I  do  not  go  to  the  opera  to- 
night. We  will  have  supper  here,  and  you  shall 
120 


OP  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

tell  us  all  your  adventures.  But  first,  mother-like,  I 
must  see  to  your  comfort.  Have  you  lodgings  yet  ?" 

"  No,  we  have  not  thought  of  it  yet." 

"  The  floor  above  us  is  vacant,  and  is  reasonable 
in  price." 

"  If  you  say  so,  engage  it  for  us.  We  will  obey 
you  as  little  Franz  and  Carl  do." 

"  Very  well.    Now  tell  us  all— all— all." 

St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin,  both  talking  at  once, 
plunged  in  and  gave  an  account  of  all  they  had 
passed  through  since  parting  at  the  gates  of  Glatz 
on  the  moonlight  night  two  months  before.  St. 
Arnaud  told  about  Bettina's  unflattering  beha- 
viour to  them  at  separating,  and  Madame  Ziska 
screamed  with  laughter,  saying: 

"  I  am  glad  my  niece  knows  so  well  how  to  take 
care  of  herself ;  "  to  which  Count  Kalenga  added, 
smiling : 

"  She  has  inherited  some  of  my  wife's  spirit,  for 
many  times,  when  I  was  a  presumptuous  young 
officer,  and  she  was  the  object  of  my  devotion,  I 
came  perilously  near  having  my  ears  boxed.  I 
think,  however,"  he  continued,  turning  to  Madame 
Ziska  with  an  air  of  affectionate  deference.  "  that 
all  the  women  of  your  family  have  remarkable  pro- 
priety of  bearing,  and  exact  respect  from  all." 
121 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

Madame  Ziska  coloured  with  pleasure  at  this. 

Supper  was  brought,  and  the  whole  party  grew 
merry,  even  Kalenga.  The  enthusiasm  with  which 
the  Empress  Queen  had  filled  St.  Arnaud  and 
Gavin  was  deeply  gratifying  to  their  hosts,  and 
Gavin's  solemn  promise  that  the  sword  given  him 
by  Maria  Theresa  was  forever  at  the  service  of  her 
and  her  family,  was  but  a  just  acknowledgment  of 
his  obligations  to  her. 

"  You  should  have  seen  her  as  I  did,  at  Pres- 
burg,  in  1741,  when  she  w^on  the  hearts  of  all 
Himgarians,"  said  Kalenga,  leaning  forward  in 
his  chair,  his  eyes  sparkling,  and  his  hand  invol- 
untarily reaching  for  the  sword,  no  longer  at  his 
side,  that  he  had  worn  so  many  years  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Empress  Queen.  ^^  She  was  then  but 
twenty-four  years  old,  and  the  handsomest  woman 
of  her  time.  On  the  day  of  her  coronation,  when 
she  rode  gallantly  up  the  Sacred  Mount  wearing 
the  tattered  robe  of  St.  Stephen  over  her  splendid 
habit,  the  iron  crown  of  St.  Stephen  on  her  head, 
and,  drawing  St.  Stephen's  sword,  defied  the  four 
corners  of  the  earth,  she  was  sovereign  of  the 
hearts  of  all  who  saw  her.  But  greater  still 
was  she  when  she  entered  the  Hall  of  the  Diet, 
wearing  the  Hungarian  dress,  in  deep  mourning, 
122 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

and  the  same  crown  and  sword  of  St.  Stephen. 
Never  can  any  who  lived  that  hour  of  glorious 
patriotism  forget  it.  She  was  the  picture  of 
majesty,  fearless  and  unappalled,  when,  stand- 
ing upon  her  throne,  she  recounted  to  us,  the  as- 
sembled nobles  of  Hungary,  all  the  dangers  that 
menaced  her,  and  her  sole  defence  lay  in  the 
loyalty  and  generosity  of  her  Hungarian  people. 
The  King  of  Prussia,  when  he  attacked  her  king- 
dom, openly  counted  upon  her  timidity  as  a  young 
and  inexperienced  princess.  Young  and  inex- 
perienced she  was — but  no  man  ever  made  so 
great  a  mistake  as  Frederick  when  he  reckoned 
upon  the  timidity  of  Maria  Theresa.  She  had 
ever  the  courage  of  a  hundred  kings  in  her  wom- 
an's heart.  So  did  she  inspire  us  on  that  never- 
to-be-forgotten  day,  that  as  one  man  we  rose,  and 
with  shouts  and  cheers  and  clanging  of  our  swords, 
as  we  drew  them  half  way  from  their  scabbards 
and  sent  them  ringing  back  again,  cried :  '  We  will 
die  for  our  King,  Maria  Theresa.'  At  that,  the 
woman's  heart,  which  ever  dwells  in  her,  made 
itself  felt.  She,  who  had  scorned  fear  when  the 
men  around  her  trembled,  and  who  proposed  to 
die  rather  than  yield  to  injustice,  burst  into  tears, 
and  wept  before  us.  Oh,  then  we  were  wild — ^we 
123 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

wept,  too — but  they  were  tears  of  love  and  admira- 
tion and  devotion  to  her  who  was  so  much  a  queen 
and  yet  so  much  a  woman.  And  from  that  day  to 
this  has  she  been  the  darling  of  the  Hungarian 
people !  " 

"  And  she  is  worthy  of  it ! ''  cried  St.  Arnaud, 
roused  from  his  habitual  calm,  and  speaking  be- 
fore Gavin  had  time  to  take  breath  after  Kalenga's 
recital.  Madame  Ziska  supplemented  her  hus- 
band's glowing  words  by  many  stories  of  the  Em- 
press Queen's  excellence  as  a  wife  and  mother, 
and  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  were  eager  listeners. 
Gavin  was  ready  to  believe  anything  of  the  cour- 
age and  nobility  of  a  woman  defending  her  rights 
— ^he  had  seen  an  example  of  it  in  his  own  mother. 
St.  Arnaud,  familiar  with  a  corrupt  court,  where 
evil  and  designing  women  held  empire,  was  glad 
to  know  that  a  royal  and  imperial  lady  could  make 
virtue  fashionable  and  decorum  popular. 

"  And  now,"  said  Madame  Ziska  after  a  while, 
"  let  us  go  upstairs  and  see  the  apartment  that  I 
wish  our  landlord  to  let  to  you." 

Taking  candles,  she  led  them  upstairs,  where, 

above  her,  was  a  comfortable  suite  of  rooms  to  be 

had.     Gavin,  in  the  impetuosity  of  his  gratitude 

and  affection  for  Madame  Ziska,  would  have  leased 

124 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

a  dog-kennel  recommended  by  her.  St.  Arnaud, 
cooler  and  more  experienced,  saw  that  the  rooms 
were  really  desirable,  and  that  Madame  Ziska  was 
a  good  counsellor  in  the  every-day  affairs  of  life. 
Gavin  declared  that  he  meant  to  stay  that  very 
night,  as  they  had  no  other  lodgings,  and  it  was  not 
likely  the  landlord  would  come  and  turn  them 
out.  St.  Arnaud  laughingly  agreed;  Madame 
Ziska  abetted  them  by  lending  them  sheets  and 
pillows,  and  at  midnight  they  tumbled  into  bed 
and  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just,  untroubled  by  any 
qualms  as  trespassers. 

Next  morning,  by  ten  o'clock,  they  had  engaged 
the  lodgings.  But  earlier  even  than  that  Gavin 
had  gone  after  his  commission,  and  had  received 
with  it  a  small  sum  of  money,  by  way  of  pay,  in 
advance.  It  was  modest  enough,  but  it  was  more 
money  than  Gavin  had  ever  seen  at  any  one  time 
in  his  life.  With  it  he  could  pay  back  his  part 
of  Madame  Ziska's  loan  and  fit  himself  out  with 
clothes  and  uniforms.  St.  Arnaud  could  draw, 
in  Vienna,  on  his  funds  in  Paris — so  they  could 
establish  themselves  in  comfort  in  their  new  quar- 
ters, which  they  proceeded  to  do.  The  proudest 
moment  of  Gavin's  life  was  when  he  stood  up  to 
be  measured  for  his  uniform  in  the  hussar  regi- 
126 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

ment  to  which  he  had  been  assigned.  It  was  ap- 
proached, however,  by  the  joy  he  felt  in  signing 
his  name  to  a  long  letter  to  his  mother — "  Your 
affectionate  son,  Gavin  Hamilton,  sublieutenant  in 
the  Jascinsky  Kegiment  of  Hussars  of  her  Imperial 
Majesty,  the  Empress  Queen  Maria  Theresa." 

It  is  not  often  that  any  human  being  enjoys 
perfect  happiness,  even  for  a  single  day ;  but  for  a 
time  it  fell  to  Gavin  Hamilton's  fortunate  lot.  It 
is  true,  he  felt  it  necessary  to  his  credit,  as  well 
as  his  happiness,  that  his  mother  should  be  re- 
deemed from  her  life  of  toil,  and  he  ardently 
longed  to  have  her  with  him.  This,  however,  he 
knew  to  be  practicable,  and  with  his  sanguine  tem- 
perament, he  regarded  it  as  already  accomplished. 
And  so  it  was  a  time  of  hap]3iness  that  he  entered 
upon  at  Vienna,  the  memory  of  which  was  a  joy 
to  him  as  long  as  he  lived.  Within  the  week  he 
had  completed  the  formalities  necessary  to  receive 
his  commission,  and  he  was  to  attend  the  Empress 
Queen's  levee,  to  "  kiss  hands "  upon  entering 
the  royal  service.  St.  Arnaud  was  also  to  go,  to 
pay  his  formal  respects  at  court.  The  levee  was 
held  in  the  evening,  and  Madame  Ziska,  who 
danced  at  the  opera  that  night,  actually  drove 
home,  in  the  intervals  of  the  performance,  to  see 
126 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

her  two  friends.  St.  Arnaud,  who  had  recovered 
his  good  looks,  along  with  regularity  in  having 
something  to  eat,  and  fresh  air  and  exercise,  was 
exquisitely  handsome  in  his  new  and  dazzling  uni- 
form. Gavin,  who  had  no  regular  beauty,  but  a 
fine  figure  and  a  frank,  speaking  face,  looked  his 
best  in  his  white  hussar  jacket  and  glittering 
accoutrements.  No  mother  admiring  her  young 
daughters  dressed  for  their  first  ball  could  have 
shown  more  pride  and  pleasure  than  Madame  Zis- 
ka.  The  children,  who  were  allowed  to  stay  up 
as  a  special  privilege,  were  in  raptures  of  delight, 
while  even  Kalenga,  who  was  always  patient,  but 
seldom  gay,  smiled  in  sympathy  with  the  pleasure 
of  those  around  him.  At  last  St.  Arnaud  and 
Gavin  set  off  in  a  hired  coach. 

A  great  crowd  of  notabilities  filled  the  ante- 
rooms of  the  palace,  but  way  was  made  everywhere 
for  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud.  Their  story  had  been 
told  broadcast  in  Vienna,  and  the  proudest  and 
most  exclusive  society  in  Europe  was  prepared  to 
welcome  them.  St.  Arnaud  was  already  well 
known,  and  Gavin's  relationship  to  the  haughty 
and  unpopular  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  was  public 
property.  St.  Arnaud  had  remarked  to  Gavin, 
on  entering  the  palace : 

127 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  Surely  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  will  absent  him- 
self from  this  levee.  He  will  not  wish  to  be 
brought  face  to  face  with  you." 

"  You  little  know  my  father/'  replied  Gavin. 
"  It  is  not  in  him  to  avoid  anybody  or  anything. 
This  much  I  must  say  of  him — he  does  not  know 
how  to  skulk." 

True  as  Gavin  had  said.  As  they  reached  the 
door  of  the  imperial  apartments,  Sir  Gavin  Ham- 
ilton, plainly  but  elegantly  dressed,  and  wearing  a 
diamond-hilted  sword  and  a  single  splendid  dec- 
oration on  his  breast,  barred  the  way.  He  was 
conversing  with  the  Chancellor,  the  celebrated 
Prince  Kaunitz,  known  as  "  the  coach  driver  of 
Europe,"  from  his  superior  management  of  af- 
fairs. Great  as  Kaunitz  was,  he  had  an  obtrusive 
vanity,  amazing  in  a  man  of  so  much  power  and 
ability.  In  contrast  to  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton's 
studied  simplicity  of  attire,  Kaunitz  was  a  mass 
of  jewels  and  embroidery,  while  the  entire  breast 
of  his  blue  velvet  coat  was  covered  with  medals, 
orders,  and  decorations.  Sir  Gavin,  a  single  eye- 
glass in  his  eye,  surveyed  the  Chancellor  with  cool 
arrogance,  and  even  the  mighty  Kaunitz  was  im- 
pressed by  the  calm  assurance  of  the  English 
baronet. 

128 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Sir  Gavin  directly  blocked  the  doorway,  and 
after  waiting  a  few  moments,  Gavin,  exchanging 
glances  with  St.  Arnaud,  tapped  Sir  Gavin  on  the 
arm  lightly,  and  said : 

"  Pardon,  bnt  will  you  kindly  permit  us  to  en- 
ter?" 

Sir  Gavin  turned  around,  without  making  way 
in  the  least,  and  quietly  surveyed  his  son  for  a 
whole  minute. 

"  I  asked,"  said  Gavin,  slightly  raising  his 
voice^  "  if  you  would  kindly  permit  us  to  en- 
ter." 

The  little  scene  had  attracted  the  attention  of 
those  near  by,  and  it  was  perfectly  well  known 
who  Gavin  was.  Kaunitz,  who  heartily  disliked 
Sir  Gavin,  watched  with  a  sly  smile  the  outcome 
of  this  novel  encounter,  and  anxiously  hoped  for 
the  baronet's  discomfiture. 

Gavin  met  Sir  Gavin's  cold,  impassive  glance 
with  one  full  of  a  steady  defiance.  They  were  very 
unlike,  this  father  and  son — Sir  Gavin,  small, 
slight,  and  pale,  and  Gavin,  tall  and  well  devel- 
oped for  his  twenty  years;  but  when  they  stood 
face  to  face,  defying  each  other,  as  it  were,  a 
strange  likeness  came  out  between  them — no  one 
could  doubt  then  their  relationship. 
129 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

After  a  moment  more  Gavin  coolly  unbuckled 
his  sword,  and  handing  it  to  St.  xlrnaud,  said : 

"  The  Empress  Queen  gave  me  that  sword  with 
her  own  hand ;  therefore,  it  shall  touch  no  unworthy 
thing."  And  as  quick  as  a  flash  he  seized  Sir 
Gavin  around  the  waist,  and  setting  him  aside, 
as  if  he  were  a  chair,  or  any  other  piece  of  light 
furniture,  walked  in,  followed  by  St.  Arnaud,  who 
handed  him  his  sword. 

There  was  a  burst  of  suppressed  laughter,  in 
which  Kaunitz's  delighted  cackle  could  be  heard. 
Sir  Gavin,  pale  with  rage,  was  yet  indomitable, 
and  looked  about  him  with  an  unabashed  front. 
Kaunitz,  whose  opportunity  it  was,  sauntered  up, 
smiling  blandly. 

"  My  dear  Sir  Gavin,  I  feel  the  utmost  sympa- 
thy for  you.    Most  disrespectful  of  your  son.^^ 

"  Yes,  he  is  my  son,"  slowly  replied  Sir  Gavin, 
''  but—" 

Gavin,  a  few  steps  farther  on,  turned  back,  his 
face  as  pale  as  his  father's. 

"  Be  guarded  in  what  you  say,"  he  said  in  a 
distinct  voice. 

"  But  not  my  heir,"  continued  Sir  Gavin. 

Gavin  made  one  swift  and  silent  step  toward 
him.  Close  at  hand  was  an  open  window,  and 
130 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

out  of  it  Gavin  instantly  handed  Sir  Gavin,  hold- 
ing him  carefully  suspended,  and  dropping  him 
considerately  upon  a  flower-bed  fifteen  feet  below. 

"  I  have  not  hurt  him,''  he  said,  turning  to  the 
astonished  spectators.  "  I  have  let  him  down  very 
softly.  You  see,  I  cannot  let  any  one,  least  of  all 
my  father.  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton,  say  that  of  me, 
because  it  reflects  upon  my  mother.  And  I  dare 
not  wear  the  sword  given  me  by  the  Empress 
Queen,  nor  even  face  her  Majesty,  if  I  suffer  one 
disrespectful  word  to  be  spoken  of  my  mother, 
Lady  Hamilton." 

There  was  a  ripple  of  applause  and  laughter. 
All  had  occurred  so  quickly  and  quietly  that  only 
those  immediately  around  them  in  the  vast  ante- 
room knew  anything  of  what  had  happened.  But 
it  spread  rapidly.  St.  Arnaud  drew  Gavin  away, 
whose  face  was  now  deeply  flushed,  and  who  was 
beginning  to  show  agitation. 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  this  will  be  my  ruin  or 
not  with  the  Empress  Queen,"  he  said  in  an  ex- 
cited whisper  to  St.  Arnaud ;  "  I  only  know  that 
some  force  stronger  than  I,  and  better,  too,  than 
I,  impels  me  to  defend  my  mother's  good  name 
whenever  this  man  attacks  it;  and  if  ruin  comes 
because  of  it,  let  it  come.  Had  Sir  Gavin  been 
131 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES  . 

standing  on  the  very  steps  of  the  throne,  I  should 
have  done  as  I  did." 

"  You  are  quite  right ;  you  have  nothing  to  fear. 
Prince  Kaunitz  saw  it  all,  and  you  may  be  sure 
that  the  right  account  will  get  to  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  Queen.  So  let  us  take  our  places  in  line 
as  if  nothing  had  occurred/'  counselled  St.  Ar- 
naud. 

This  they  proceeded  to  do,  and  in  their  turn 
they  entered  the  splendid  apartment,  where  week- 
ly the  imperial  levee  was  held.  On  a  dais  under 
a  canopy  of  crimson  velvet  sat  Maria  Theresa  and 
the  Emperor  Erancis.  The  Empress  Queen,  in  a 
white  gown,  with  a  crimson  velvet  mantle  lightly 
thrown  across  her  shoulders,  wearing  superb  jew- 
els, and  a  small  tiara  on  her  dark  hair,  was  a  pic- 
ture of  matronly  beauty.  'No  one  would  have  sus- 
pected that  this  majestic  and  serene  woman  often 
spent  nights  of  agonized  weeping  over  her  lost 
armies  at  Eosbach  and  Leuthen.  Misfortune 
might  rend  her  heart,  but  it  could  not  shake  her 
lofty  spirit,  and  she  set  an  heroic  example  of  hope 
and  courage.  She  was  talking  affably  to  those 
about  her,  especially  a  very  old  man,  in  the  dress 
of  an  Hungarian  magnate,  for  Avhom  she  had 
caused  a  chair  to  be  placed,  in  consideration  of  his 
133 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

infirmities.  As  each  person  was  presented  she 
had  an  appropriate  word,  and  when  St.  Amaud's 
time  came,  she  acknowledged  his  respectful  greet- 
ing by  saying  pleasantly: 

"  I  desire  to  hear  more  of  your  adventures  in 
getting  out  of  Glatz." 

To  Gavin  she  said  that  which  gave  him  a  thrill 
of  the  deepest  happiness. 

"  I  hope,  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  that  you  have 
informed  your  mother,  Lady  Hamilton,  of  your 
fortunate  escape." 


CHAPTER  VII 

During  the  winter  of  1758  Vienna  society 
found  one  of  its  most  interesting  subjects  of  small 
talk  in  the  affairs  of  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  and  his 
son,  Lieutenant  Gavin  Hamilton,  of  the  Jascinsky 
Eegiment  of  Hussars.  Of  course,  all  sorts  of  vari- 
ations were  given  to  the  story,  the  plain,  imvar- 
nished  truth  being  the  version  seldomest  heard 
and  least  believed.  Although  England  had  with- 
drawn from  her  alliance  with  the  Empress  Queen, 
and  the  King  of  Prussia  had  secured  an  English 
alliance  and  an  English  subsidy  of  nearly  seven 
hundred  thousand  pounds,  it  was  the  policy  of 
Kaunitz  to  treat  the  English  in  Vienna  in  a  con- 
ciliatory manner.  There  were  only  a  few  of  them, 
chiefly  gentlemen  of  fortune  like  Sir  Gavin  Ham- 
ilton, who  had  a  fancy  for  what  was  then,  next 
to  Paris,  the  gayest  city  of  continental  Europe, 
and  who  took  advantage  of  the  permission  to  re- 
main until  the  actual  outbreak  of  hostilities  in  the 
spring.  [N'owhere  was  the  spirit  of  resistance  to 
134 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Frederick's  aggressions  so  determined  as  in  Vien- 
na, and  it  was  the  belief  both  of  the  great  Chan- 
cellor and  his  imperial  mistress  that  it  would  be 
well  for  Englishmen  of  rank  and  standing  to  note 
the  undaunted  front  with  which  the  Court  of  Vien- 
na met  misfortunes,  and  prepared  to  redeem  them. 
Sir  Gavin  was  distinctly  unpopular;  but  that, 
which  would  have  been  a  reason  with  most  men 
for  leaving  Vienna  at  the  earliest  feasible  mo- 
ment, was  reason  enough  to  keep  him  there  until 
the  last  possible  hour.  He  had  an  unshakable 
self-possession,  and  it  gave  him  a  cynical  amuse- 
ment to  show  himself  when  the  world  expected  him 
to  take  himself  off;  to  smile  and  be  at  his  ease 
when  other  men  would  have  been  miserably  ill  at 
ease ;  to  calmly  ignore  the  attitude  of  others  when 
it  did  not  coincide  with  his  own  attitude.  He  ap- 
peared punctually  at  the  next  weekly  levee  of  the 
Empress  Queen,  after  he  had  been  dropped  out  of 
the  window  by  his  son,  and  bore  with  perfect  com- 
posure the  sly  smiles  and  covert  gibes  to  which 
his  adventure  gave  rise.  Only  on  one  point  did 
he  change.  Twice  had  he  met  Gavin,  and  each 
time  the  slur  cast  upon  Lady  Hamilton  had  been 
resented  in  a  way  against  which  he  was  practically 
defenceless.  All  the  sneers  and  jeers  in  the  world 
135 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

were  helpless  against  a  young  man  with  such  fine, 
powerful  arms  and  legs  as  Gavin's,  and  who  had 
no  scruple  whatever  in  using  them.  Sir  Gavin 
saw,  therefore,  the  absolute  impossibility  of  con- 
veying any  slight  upon  Lady  Hamilton  in  her  son's 
presence  without  being  made  not  only  odious,  but 
ridiculous ;  and,  like  Gavin,  he  knew  perfectly  well 
that  no  place  and  no  company  would  give  him  secur- 
ity, when  the  occasion  rose,  from  the  just  resent- 
ment of  the  son  of  the  woman  he  had  so  injured. 

Gavin,  deep  in  learning  the  duties  of  his  new 
position,  yet  lost  not  a  moment  in  trying  to  get 
his  mother  to  Vienna.  The  journey  would  be  long 
and  expensive,  and  it  would  require  rigid  econo- 
my for  both  of  them  to  live  on  his  hussar's  pay; 
yet  his  affectionate  heart  yearned  to  have  her  with 
him.  Madame  Ziska  and  her  husband,  and  St. 
Arnaud,  who  knew  the  world  well,  pointed  out 
other  reasons  why  it  was  desirable  that  Lady  Ham- 
ilton should  come  to  Vienna. 

"  It  is  your  great  opportunity,"  said  St.  Aiv 
naud  one  evening  when  they  all  sat  together  in 
Madame  Ziska's  apartment.  "  There  is  no  doubt 
that  the  Empress  Queen  will  receive  your  mother 
as  Lady  Hamilton,  and  it  will  carry  great  weight 
in  your  contest  for  your  rights." 
136 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  Especially  will  it  be  so,"  added  Kalenga,  who 
was  a  man  of  mucli  sense,  "  if  she  is  received  as 
Lady  Hamilton  while  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  is 
here.  It  will  be  plain  that  there  could  be  no  de-- 
ception  about  it,  and  that  the  Empress  Queen 
knew  the  exact  status  of  the  case.  Therefore,  I 
recommend  you  to  make  every  effort  and  every 
sacrifice  to  get  your  mother  to  you  at  the  earli- 
est moment.  When  the  campaign  opens  in  the 
spring,  you  will  be  obliged  to  leave  Vienna.  You 
should  have  her  here  before  you  are  ordered 
away." 

"  And  I,"  said  St.  Arnaud,  "  through  my  con- 
nections in  France,  can  arrange  for  her  to  start 
and  have  money  advanced  to  her." 

"  And  I,"  chimed  in  Madame  Ziska,  "  can  lend 
you  a  few  ducats  to  help  her  out." 

The  ever-ready  tears  filled  Gavin's  eyes. 

"  Why  should  I.  have  such  friends  ?  I  think 
it  must  be  my  mother's  blessing  that  brings  them. 
But,  oh,  me !  I  do  not  know  where  in  Paris  my 
mother  can  now  be  found.  The  last  letter  that 
reached  me  was  in  the  summer.  She  may  have 
changed  her  quarters  since  then." 

"  Never  mind,"  cried  St.  Arnaud  encouraging- 
ly. "  It  is  not  likely  that  she  did  not  take  steps 
137 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

to  have  her  whereabouts  known,  and  the  King's  po- 
lice can  find  her,  anyhow. '^ 

That  very  night  St.  Arnaud  wrote  a  packet  of 
letters,  to  be  dispatched  by  the  next  post  to  France. 
Only  after  they  were  gone  did  he  tell  Gavin  that 
he  had  directed  his  friends  in  Paris,  not  only 
to  find  Lady  Hamilton,  but  to  supply  her  with 
everything  needful  for  her  comfort  in  making  the 
long  journey.  More  than  that,  he  went  next  day 
to  Prince  Kaunitz,  and  laying  before  him  the  facts 
in  the  case,  got  a  specific  promise  from  him  that 
the  Empress  Queen  would  receive  Lady  Hamilton 
on  her  arrival.  And  he  and  Gavin,  in  whatever 
company  they  found  themselves,  took  pains  to  an- 
nounce the  coming  arrival  of  Lady  Hamilton. 
The  presence  of  Sir  Gavin  made  a  very  pretty 
complication,  and  conjecture  ran  riot  in  Vienna 
society  as  to  what  he  would  say  and  do  when  the 
catastrophe  came.  Sir  Gavin  discounted  it  all  by 
saying  and  doing  nothing  whatever.  Bets  were 
freely  made  as  to  the  date  when  Sir  Gavin  would 
be  driven  to  flight.  The  Chancellor,  Kaunitz, 
hearing  it  talked  of  one  evening  in  the  Empress 
Queen's  antechamber,  took  a  pinch  of  snuff,  and 
coolly  poising  it  between  his  thumb  and  forefinger, 
remarked : 

188 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  will  remain  in  Vienna 
as  long  as  he  is  not  wanted.  The  day  we  appear 
to  wish  him  to  stay  he  will  take  post  for  Berlin 
or  London  or  the  devil.  Yesterday  I  achieved  the 
greatest  diplomatic  stroke  of  my  career.  Sir  GslT- 
in  came  to  see  me  at  the  Chancellery,  and  in- 
quired whether  he  could  have  permission  to  remain 
in  Vienna,  if  he  so  desired,  beyond  the  time  stipu- 
lated in  his  passport.  I  was  on  the  alert  at  once. 
I  knew,  whatever  he  supposed  my  wishes  were, 
that  would  he  not  do.  Therefore,  I  answered  him 
in  such  a  manner  that  he  did  not  and  cannot  find 
out  whether  his  presence  here  is  pleasing  or  dis- 
pleasing to  her  Imperial  Majesty's  government. 
That  is  what  I  call  a  diplomatic  triumph." 

And  Kaunitz  dramatically  waved  his  jewelled 
hand  and  lace-trimmed  handkerchief  in  the  air. 

"  But  the  wife  he  repudiates  is  coming,"  sug- 
gested a  pert  maid  of  honour.  Kaunitz  shook  his 
head. 

"  No  such  trifle  as  that,  my  dear  lady,  will  move 
Sir  Gavin  Hamilton.  Englishmen  are  obstinate, 
but  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  lias  an  obstinacy  as  tall 
and  as  wide  and  as  deep  as  the  cathedral  of  St. 
Stephen." 

On  a  snowy  day  in  February,  about  the  time 
139 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

that  Lady  Hamilton  was  expected,  St.  Arnaud  sat 
alone  in  his  apartment.  He  was  hard  at  work 
over  some  details  of  his  regiment;  for  the  rem- 
nants of  it  had  been  got  together,  and  with  the 
new  recruits  it  could  make  a  tolerable  showing 
in  numbers.  Below  he  could  hear  the  Kalenga 
children  romping — Madame  Ziska  was  away  at  the 
palace  giving  the  dancing  lesson  to  the  little  arch- 
dukes and  archduchesses,  and  Ivalenga,  the  most 
devoted  of  fathers,  allowed  his  children  much 
more  indulgence  than  their  mother.  They  grew 
so  noisy  presently  that  when  St.  Arnaud  heard  the 
grinding  of  wheels  before  the  door,  he  said  to  him- 
self: 

"  Thank  heaven,  Madame  Ziska  is  come,  and 
they  will  now  be  quiet.'' 

But,  looking  out  of  the  window,  he  saw  it  was 
not  Madame  Ziska  who  was  descending  from  the 
carriage,  but  a  lady  in  black,  whose  slightness  and 
youthfulness  of  figure  made  it  seem  impossible 
that  she  should  be  the  mother  of  a  son  as  old  as 
Gavin  Hamilton. 

St.  Arnaud  returned  to  his  work,  imtil  he  heard 
steps  ascending  the  stairs,  and  Freda's  childish 
voice  saying: 

"  The  gentlemen  are  out,  but  I  can  show  you  to 
140 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Lieutenant  Gavin's  room — that  is  what  we  caU 
him.'' 

The  door  opened  and  Lady  Hamilton  entered. 

The  youthf ulness  of  her  figure  was  not  fulfilled 
in  her  face.  Sorrow  and  want  had  done  their  work 
there ;  they  had  clouded,  though  not  destroyed  her 
delicate  beauty.  Her  dark  eyes  were  Gavin's  eyes, 
but  her  hair,  once  a  deep  brown,  was  plentifully 
streaked  with  gray.  Her  complexion,  extremely 
fair,  had  not  the  red  glow  of  youth,  and  her  fine, 
straight  features  were  thin  and  marked.  But  how- 
ever much  she  had  the  signs  of  having  suffered, 
she  was  now  palpitating  with  joy,  and  her  pallor 
was  that  of  overpowering  emotion.  Her  eyes  rested 
upon  St.  Arnaud,  then  quickly  searched  the  room. 

"  He  is  not  here — my  son — "  she  said,  trembling 
as  she  spoke. 

"  No,  madam,"  replied  St.  Arnaud,  rising,  "  but 
he  will  be  here  very  shortly." 

Lady  Hamilton  advanced  to  the  middle  of  the 
room,  and  placing  her  hand  on  St.  Arnaud' s  arm, 
said: 

"  I  know  well  who  you  are — my  son's  friend 
and  best  benefactor.    I  am  almost  glad  that  Gavin 
is  not  here,  for  I  did  not  know  how  much  it  would 
agitate  me  to  meet  him." 
141 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

St.  Arnaud  led  her  tenderly  to  a  chair,  saying; 

"  Remember,  you  are  among  friends  who  honour 
you  and  love  Gavin." 

The  woman,  who  had  borne  with  stoical  com- 
posure for  twenty  years  the  miseries  of  a  repudi- 
ated wife,  broke  down  under  these  words  of  kind- 
ness. She  laid  her  head  upon  her  arms  and  sobbed 
convulsively.  Freda,  with  wide  and  frightened 
childish  eyes,  watched  her,  while  St.  Arnaud  let 
her  weep  unchecked ;  he  saw  that  it  was  doing  her 
good.  Freda,  who  was  an  affectionate  child,  stole 
her  little  hand  in  Lady  Hamilton's,  and  asked 
earnestly : 

"  Won't  you  let  me  get  you  some  coffee  to  make 
you  stop  crying — and  a  little  piece  of  bread  with 
it  and  some  cheese  ? '' 

Lady  Hamilton  drew  the  child  to  her,  and  smil- 
ing through  her  tears,  called  her  a  dear  child. 
Freda  thought  the  ways  of  grown  people  very  re- 
markable. 

In  a  few  minutes  Lady  Hamilton  recovered  her 
self-possession — the  pains  of  joy  are  short-lived — 
and  sat  up,  her  wan  face  glowing  with  happiness. 
And  then,  just  as  she  and  St.  Arnaud  were  talking 
as  if  they  had  known  each  other  forty  years,  an 
eager  step  was  heard  on  the  stairs,  and  Gavin,  his 
142 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

face  flushed  with  exercise,  and  looking  every  inch 
a  man  and  a  soldier  in  his  hussar  uniform,  bound- 
ed into  the  room.  St.  Arnaud  slipped  into  his 
own  bedroom — the  meeting  between  the  mother 
and  son  was  too  sacred  for  other  eyes. 

Gavin  caught  his  mother  in  his  arms  and 
strained  her  to  his  heart.  Both  wept — they  had 
shed  no  tears  at  parting — and  a  dozen  times  Gavin 
cried :  "  Mother !  my  mother ! ''  and  Lady  Ham- 
ilton answered :  "  My  son !  my  excellent,  brave 
son,"  as  if  the  mere  repetition  of  the  title  each 
loved  gave  them  joy. 

The  first  rapturous  kisses  over,  mother  and  son 
looked  at  each  other  with  new  eyes.  When  they 
had  parted  nearly  two  years  before,  Gavin  was 
a  boy.  He  had  looked  up  to  his  mother  for  help  in 
every  relation  of  life,  and  she  had  been  forgetful, 
as  mothers  are,  of  the  development  of  the  boy  into 
the  man,  and  had  yearned  over  him  in  his  youth 
and  inexperience  much  as  she  had  watched  over 
him  in  his  cradle.  Now,  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  after  a  separation  of  two  years,  their  situa- 
tions were  reversed.  The  mother  saw  at  one  glance 
that  here  she  had  a  stay  and  prop — the  days  of 
her  comfort  were  beginning.  And  the  son  saw 
that,  in  the  natural  evolution  of  events,  he  could 
143 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

now  begin  to  return  to  his  mother  that  all-provid- 
ing care  with  which  she  had  sheltered  his  hard  and 
poverty-stricken  youth.  Lady  Hamilton  surveyed 
his  tall  and  well-formed  figure  with  delight.  She 
had  never  before  in  her  life  seen  him  tolerably 
well  dressed.  To  keep  him  decent  had  taxed  all 
her  slender  resources;  and  to  see  him  in  all  the 
splendour  of  his  white  hussar  uniform  was  a  reve- 
lation to  her. 

"  I  did  not  know  you  were  so  nearly  handsome," 
she  said  fondly,  kissing  his  forehead.  "  But  I 
never  before  saw  you  in  the  guise  of  a  gentleman." 

"  Oh,  my  mother,"  cried  Gavin,  "  after  I  had 
left  you  and  knew  something  of  the  world,  I  won- 
dered how  you,  alone  and  forsaken  in  a  strange 
country,  ever  continued  to  live  at  all !  And  to  feed 
and  clothe  me — what  a  burden  I  must  have  been 
to  you !  " 

"  ISTo  burden,  but  my  only  joy  and  hope.  Tell 
me,  therefore,  my  son,  have  you  so  lived  since  we 
parted  that  I  can  still  have  joy  and  hope  in  you  ? 
Look  me  in  the  face  and  tell  me  if  you  have  led 
a  clean  life  and  an  upright  life,  for  I  know  you 
cannot  deceive  my  eyes,  even  if  you  would." 

Gavin  looked  at  her  honestly,  clearly,  imflinch- 

144 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  I  have  not  been  perfect,  mother/'  he  replied. 
"  No  one  is  that,  you  have  always  told  me ;  but 
there  is  not  one  hour  of  my  life  since  we  parted 
that  you  cannot  know  all  about,  if  you  wish  to 
hear  it.  Eemember,  the  \Yays  and  talk  of  private 
soldiers,  of  whom  I  was  one  for  two  years,  are 
not  the  ways  and  talk  in  which  you  bred  me; 
but  these  soldiers  were  honest,  brave  fellows,  if 
they  were  uncouth  and  coarse.  I  have  felt,  how- 
ever, much  more  at  home  in  the  company  which 
St.  Arnaud  made  possible  to  me  than  I  ever  did 
among  the  soldiers;  and  in  one  thing,  at  least,  I 
obeyed  your  commands  " — here  Gavin  laughed — 
"  I  was  often  ragged  and  always  cold  and  hungry, 
but  I  never  was  a  moment  without  a  piece  of  soap, 
a  comb,  and  a  razor." 

At  which  Lady  Hamilton  smiled  and  said : 

"  You  are  my  own  true  boy.  My  father  and  my 
brothers  were  always  clean  and  well-shaven,  as  be- 
comes gentlemen.  I  don't  know  how  I  should  feel 
toward  a  son  who  neglected  those  things." 

Gavin  grew  serious  enough  the  next  moment, 
for  he  said : 

"  And  do  you  know  that  my — that  Sir  Gavin 
Hamilton  is  in  Vienna  ?  " 

A  deep  flush  rose  instantly  in  Lady  Hamilton's 

145 
.10 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

pale  face.  Gavin  went  on  and  described  his  ad- 
venture with  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  at  the  imperial 
palace  and  everything  connected  with  him,  and 
especially  the  possibility  that  he  and  Lady  Ham- 
ilton might  meet  if  Lady  Hamilton  went  to  the 
Empress  Queen's  levee,  which  she,  no  doubt, 
would. 

"  And  after  her  Majesty  receives  you,  mother," 
cried  Gavin  exultingly,  "  Sir  Gavin  can  no  longer 
insult  you  by  saying  you  were  not  his  wife." 

"  But  will  her  Majesty  receive  me?  " 

"  Undoubtedly ;  so  Prince  Kaunitz  has  promised 
St.  Arnaud.  And  I  have  privately  told  St.  Ar- 
naud  that  if  by  any  accident  or  intrigue  it  is 
refused,  or  even  delayed,  I  will  resign  my  com- 
mission at  once  and  enlist  again  as  a  private  sol- 
dier. But  St.  Arnaud  will  manage  it.  St.  Arnaud 
has  a  great  family  connection  in  Paris.  The 
Chancellor,  Kaunitz,  knows  all  about  him — so 
trust  St.  Arnaud  to  do  for  you  what  he  has  done 
for  me.  He  is  the  best  friend  with  whom  mortal 
man  was  ever  blessed." 

"  I  long  to  see  him  again.     When  I  arrived  I 

was  so  overcome  and  agitated  that  I  scarcely  knew 

what  I  was  saying;  but  I  loved  him  before  I  ever 

saw  him.    And  I  love  that  good  Madame  Ziska — 

146 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ah,  Gavin,  Gavin,  how  much  good  there  is  in  the 
world!" 

"  Come,"  cried  Gavin,  jumping  up.  "  I  hear 
the  carriage  at  the  door — Madame  Ziska  has  re- 
turned from  the  opera-house — and  where  is  St. 
Arnaud  ? " 

Gavin  ran  in  the  other  rooms  of  the  apartment, 
shouting : 

"  St.  Arnaud !  Where  are  you  ?  Come  and  see 
my  mother ;  "  but  St.  Arnaud  was  nowhere  to  bo 
found.  Gavin  then  escorted  his  mother  to  the  floor 
below  to  meet  Madame  Ziska  and  her  husband. 
In  all  the  terrible  privations,  humiliations,  and 
struggles  of  twenty  years.  Lady  Hamilton  had 
never  lost  the  best  part  of  her  birthright — the  air 
and  manner  of  the  high-bred  Englishwoman. 
Ller  black  gown  was  shabby  and  her  slim  hands 
roughened  by  the  actual  toil  she  had  been  com- 
pelled to  do,  but  she  was  everywhere  at  ease,  with 
that  serene  and  graceful  unconsciousness  which  is 
the  mark  of  a  person  born  to  consideration.  Ma- 
dame Ziska,  although  born  and  bred  in  a  far  hum- 
bler position  in  life  than  the  English  gentlewoman, 
had  been  gifted  with  a  natural  refinement  and  good 
sense  that  was  equal  to  all  the  advantages  of  birth 
and  early  education ;  so  the  two  women,  on  meet- 
147 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

ing,  had  every  reason  to  be  mutually  satisfied  with 
the  other. 

Gavin  very  proudly  introduced  his  mother 
as  "  Lady  Ameeltone  " — for  he  had  not  yet  learned 
the  true  pronunciation  of  his  own  name — to  Ma- 
dame  Ziska  and  Count  Kalenga.  Lady  Hamilton 
took  both  of  Madame  Ziska's  hands  in  hers  and 
said  earnestly : 

"  How  can  I  thank  you  enough  for  what  you 
have  done  for  my  son  ?  " 

To  which  Madame  Ziska  replied  in  her  more 
emotional  and  demonstrative  way : 

^^  Oh,  madam,  he  is  such  a  nice  lad !  And 
when  I  saw  those  two  admirable  young  men  that 
freezing  night  when  we  first  met,  my  heart  went 
out  to  them.  At  first  they  did  not  know  whether 
I  was  married  or  a  widow.  I  believe  they  thought 
at  first  I  was  a  widow,  they  paid  me  so  many  gal- 
lant compliments,  and  all  the  time  I  was  laughing 
to  myself,  thinking  how  their  tone  Avould  change 
if  they  knew  I  had  a  husband  and  four  big  chil- 
dren snugly  tucked  away  at  home." 

"  True,"  cried  Gavin  with  a  grin.     "  We  were 

sure  that  Madame  Ziska   was   a  young   widow, 

she  was  so  charming,  and  we  felt  quite  flat  when 

we  found   she   regarded  us  merely   as   a   couple 

148 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

of  schoolboys  to  be  helped  out  of  a  predica- 
ment." 

Kalenga  then  joined  in  the  conversation,  and 
the  children  were  brought  in  and  presented,  Freda 
especially,  a  pretty,  quaint  child  of  thirteen,  who 
had  already  made  friends  with  Lady  Hamilton. 
When  Madame  Ziska  addressed  her  as  Lady  Ham- 
ilton, she  smiled  sadly  and  said: 

"  A  title  has  often  seemed  a  mockery  to  me, 
when  I  have  been  in  so  great  poverty  and  obscurity 
for  so  many  years.  But  it  is  a  part  of  my  son's 
heritage,  and  that  is  why  I  hold  to  it." 

Madame  Ziska,  the  soul  of  hospitality,  proposed 
that  they  should  all  sup  together. 

"  And  how  vexatious  it  will  be  of  St.  Arnaud  if 
he  is  not  here,"  she  said.  "  He  must  be  detained 
somewhere.  As  I  do  not  dance  to-night,  we  can 
put  off  our  supper  until  eight  o'clock,  and  by  that 
time  he  will  probably  be  here." 

The  afternoon  passed  only  too  quickly.  Lady 
Hamilton  listening  to  the  adventures  of  Gavin, 
and  every  moment  feeling  a  deeper  thankfulness 
for  the  man  he  had  become.  She  herself,  accus- 
tomed in  her  youth  to  the  most  refined  society, 
had  formerly  noted  with  regret  many  little  things 
in  Gavin  which  it  was  inevitable  that  he  should 
149 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES    . 

acquire  from  the  humble  associates  of  his  child- 
hood and  boyhood.  But  all  these  small  faults  of 
manners  and  language  seemed  to  have  disappeared. 
In  two  short  months  Gavin  had  become  perfectly 
fitted  for  the  society  to  which  he  was  born  and 
entitled. 

Eight  o'clock  came,  and  Kalenga's  chair  had  just 
been  wheeled  up  to  the  comfortable  supper-table, 
when  St.  Arnaud  appeared.  Madame  Ziska  cov- 
ered him  with  reproaches  for  deserting  them  on 
that,  of  all  afternoons. 

"  Wait,  madam,"  mysteriously  said  St.  Arnaud. 
"  I  have  not  been  forgetful  of  Lady  Hamilton, 
though  I  presume  she  thought  I  vanished  into 
thin  air  when  I  disappeared  so  suddenly.  I  have 
been  to  see  Prince  Kaunitz  at  the  Chancellery. 
The  Chancellor  has  been  to  see  the  Empress  Queen, 
and  has  just  given  me  this." 

St.  Arnaud  drew  from  his  pocket  an  elaborately 
sealed  letter,  with  the  imperial  arms,  addressed  to 
^^  The  Lady  Hamilton."  It  was  a  letter  from  the 
Court  Chamberlain  commanding  the  attendance  of 
Lady  Hamilton  at  the  next  weekly  levee  of  the  Em- 
press Queen,  on  the  following  Tuesday  evening. 

Gavin  jumped  up,  snapped  his  fingers,  danced, 
laughed,  embraced  St.  Arnaud  a  dozen  times. 
150 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  Now,"  he  cried,  "  we  will  see  what  Sir  Garvan 
Ameeltone  " — with  infinite  contempt — "  will  do 
when  her  Majesty  receives  Lady  Ameeltone !  " 

Lady  Hamilton,  more  accustomed  than  Gavin 
to  the  society  of  the  great,  was  deeply  gratified, 
but  not,  like  him,  highly  elated ;  and  when  he  spoke 
of  his  father  in  a  tone  that  indicated  so  much 
hatred  and  contempt,  she  flashed  him  a  look  that 
reduced  him  to  silence  at  once.  Nevertheless, 
there  was  no  mistaking  the  earnest  gratitude  of  the 
few  words,  straight  from  her  heart,  with  which  she 
thanked  St.  Arnaud.  It  was,  indeed,  a  long  step 
toward  her  rights  to  be  received  by  a  great  and 
virtuous  sovereign  in  the  very  presence,  as  it  were, 
of  the  man  who  had  vainly  tried  to  repudiate 
her. 

It  was  an  evening  of  great  happiness  to  them  all. 
Madame  Ziska  and  Kalenga  had  become  so  at- 
tached to  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  that  whatever 
made  them  happy,  the  husband  and  wife  shared 
thoroughly.  Lady  Hamilton  found  in  Kalenga 
so  much  patience  under  misfortune,  and  so  much 
affection  and  appreciation  of  his  wife,  that  she 
honoured  him  with  all  her  heart.  When  she  saw 
their  mutual  devotion,  she  could  not  but  think  with 
vain  regret ;  "  Had  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  so  treated 
151 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

me,  I  should  liave  been  the  happiest  woman  in  the 
world." 

I^ext  morning  a  very  great  and  important  sub- 
ject came  up,  of  which  only  Lady  Hamilton  and 
Madame  Ziska  realized  the  true  significance.  This 
was  the  gown  that  Lady  Hamilton  was  to  wear  to 
the  imperial  levee.  Gavin  tried  to  settle  it  at 
once  by  saying: 

"  Go  to  the  shops  and  buy  the  handsomest  gown 
you  can  find.  I  can  pay  for  a  part  of  it,  and  St. 
Arnaud  will  lend  me  the  rest." 

"  Thank  you,  no,"  replied  his  mother,  smiling. 
"  It  would  not  be  in  good  taste  that  I  should  ap- 
pear handsomely  dressed,  even  if  you  had  the 
money,  which  you  have  not.  It  is  much  better  that 
my  dress  should  be  as  simple  as  circumstances  Avill 
allow.  Therefore,  I  shall  wear  a  plain  black  satin 
gown.  When  I  was  presented,  in  my  girlhood,  to 
the  King  and  Queen  of  England,  I  wore  a  very 
simple  gown,  for  my  parents  were  not  rich  people 
for  their  station  in  life.  I  think  I  cannot  do  better 
than  follow  their  plan  now,  although  they  have 
long  since  been  taken  from  me." 

The  days  could  not  go  fast  enough  for  Gavin 
between  then  and  Tuesday.  The  only  thing  that 
marred  his  happiness  was  the  possibility  that  Sir 
152 


'^ 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Gavin  Hamilton  would  not  be  present  to  witness 
the  triumph  of  the  woman  he  had  so  ill  used  and 
insulted.  True,  Sir  Gavin  did  not  mean  to  be  at 
the  levee,  for  he  heard  in  due  time  of  the  arrival 
of  his  wife,  and  knew  that  the  Empress  Queen 
would  receive  her.  But  he  had  no  notion  of  be- 
ing driven  from  Vienna  by  her  presence,  and  sar- 
donically concluded  that  Lady  Hamilton  would  be 
as  anxious  to  avoid  him  as  he  would  be  to  avoid 
her. 

Tuesday  evening  came,  and  Gavin  and  St.  Ar- 
naud,  dressed  in  their  court  uniforms,  awaited 
Lady  Hamilton's  appearance  from  her  room. 
With  only  little  Freda  to  assist  her,  Lady  Ham- 
ilton was  making  her  toilet.  Presently  the  door 
opened,  and  Freda,  with  a  candle  in  each  hand, 
came  out,  looking  solemn  beyond  expression,  and 
putting  the  candlesticks  on  the  table,  gazed  with 
grave  admiration  at  Lady  Hamilton,  who  followed 
her. 

Gavin  caught  his  breath  with  admiration 
when  his  mother  came  full  into  the  circle  of  light. 
He  had  never  thought  of  her  as  a  beautiful  woman, 
only  as  the  dearest  woman  in  the  world.  He  had 
seen  only  in  her  large,  dark  eyes  ther  mother  love 
shining  for  him.  He  had  only  felt  in  her  rare 
153 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 


smiles  the  sympathy  with  him  that  made  her 
smile  sometimes  in  the  midst  of  her  hard  lot.  And 
he  had  never  seen  her  dressed  except  in  the  plain- 
est and,  often,  in  the  shabbiest  manner. 

But  to-night  she  wore  her  simple  black  satin 
robe  with  the  air  of  a  princess.  For  the  first  time 
in  twenty  years  her  beautiful  white  neck  and 
handsome  arms  were  bared  to  view.  Her  hair,  sil- 
ver and  black  mingled,  was  still  abundant,  and 
arranged  with  singular  grace  and  becomingness. 
At  night  the  lines  of  care  in  her  face  were  not 
visible;  pleasure,  from  which  she  had  long  since 
parted,  had  again  come  to  her,  and  had  brought 
to  her  cheek  a  flush  like  the  glow  of  youth.  She 
wore  no  jewels — she  had  none  to  wear — but  her 
majestic  and  high-bred  beauty  needed  no  orna- 
ments. 

Gavin's  first  gasp  of  admiration  over,  he  was 
strangely  silent,  while  St,  Arnaud,  with  the  pol- 
ished grace  of  a  man  of  the  world,  complimented 
Lady  Hamilton  upon  her  distinguished  appear- 
ance. iN'o  w^oman  ever  loses  her  appreciation  of 
a  pretty  compliment,  and  as  for  Gavin,  Lady 
Hamilton  was  more  touched  than  she  would  have 
acknowledged  by  his  admiration.  She  had  asked 
herself  while  dressing :  "  Will  he  like  me  in  this 
154 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

guise  ? "  as  a  young  girl  questions  of  her  lover. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  Gavin  liked  her  in  that 
guise;  but  when  his  mother  turned  to  him  once 
more  his  eyes  were  full  of  tears. 

*^  Oh,  my  mother/'  he  cried.  "  To  think  what 
youth  and  beauty  were  yours  when  sorrow  came 
to  you !  To  think  that  I,  your  child,  never  before 
saw  you  except  in  the  clothes  of  work  and  poverty ! 
I  feel  now  as  I  never  felt  before  the  terrible  hard- 
ship of  your  lot." 

"  But  the  worst  is  over,"  replied  Lady  Hamil- 
ton ;  "  and  remember,  I  always  had  you." 

"  Yes,  to  feed  and  clothe  ^  to  eat  up  all  you 
could  earn;  to  wear  out  the  poor  garments  you 
could  afford  to  buy  me." 

"  At  least,  all  you  had  was  honestly  earned. 
Let  us  be  thankful  that  you  lived  at  no  man's 
grudging  table  and  wore  no  one's  cast-offs.  That 
is  why,  after  so  many  years  of  work  and  poverty,  we 
are  still  able  to  take  our  stand  among  our  equals." 

As  Lady  Hamilton  spoke  with  so  much  spirit 
and  dignity,  it  occurred  to  St.  Amaud  that  the 
man  who  could  desert  such  a  woman  must  be  very 
perverse  or  very  bad. 

St.  Arnaud  handed  Lady  Hamilton  into  the 
hired  carriage  that  was  to  take  her  and  Gavin  to 
155 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

the  palace,  saying  he  would  follow  them  as  soon 
as  he  could  dispose  of  some  letters  he  must  have 
ready  for  the  next  post  to  Paris. 

As  Lady  Hamilton  and  Gavin  walked  together 
through  the  splendid  saloons  of  the  Imperial 
Court  none  there  showed  more  dignity  and  com- 
posure. Lady  Hamilton  was  the  only  woman  pres- 
ent who  wore  no  jewels,  and  this  absence  of  orna- 
ment made  her  conspicuous.  She  was,  however,  well 
fitted  by  her  splendid  dignity  and  the  calm  and 
unruffled  manner  of  an  English  gentlewoman  to 
stand  the  scrutiny  of  the  hundreds  of  eyes  levelled 
at  her.  The  universal  verdict  was  the  same  as 
St.  Arnaud's  in  respect  to  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton. 
Gavin,  resplendent  in  his  gorgeous,  white  uniform, 
looked  about  him  with  sparkling  eyes  of  triumph, 
which  said  plainly  to  all :  "  This  is  my  mother. 
Have  I  not  a  right  to  be  proud  of  her  ?  "  Many 
persons  stopped  and  spoke  with  them  while  they 
were  finding  their  place  in  line.  Among  them 
was  Prince  Kaunitz.  The  Chancellor  ever  had  an 
eye  to  grace  and  dignity  in  a  woman,  and  within 
a  few  minutes  of  being  presented  to  Lady  Hamil- 
ton he  whispered  to  her  and  Gavin : 

"'  Will  you  do  me  the  honour  to  sup  at  my  house 
after  the  levee  ?  " 

156 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Lady  Hamilton  accepted  with  politeness,  and 
Gavin  with  a  frank  delight  he  could  not  conceal. 
These  little  supper  parties  at  the  Chancellor's 
house  were  among  the  most  agreeable  and  distin- 
guished parties  in  Vienna.  Only  a  small  number 
of  persons,  more  eminent  for  talents  than  rank, 
and  the  best  among  the  foreign  visitors  at  Vienna, 
were  asked  to  them.  To  be  invited  once  gave  the 
entree  to  any  of  them.  Gavin  had  never  been  bid- 
den before,  and  he  knew  very  well  that  he  was 
indebted  to  his  mother's  personal  charm  for  being 
invited  at  all. 

When  their  turn  came  to  be  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  the  Empress  Queen,  Lady  Hamilton 
showed  to  great  advantage.  Unabashed  by  Maria 
Theresa's  splendid  presence,  she,  nevertheless,  did 
homage  to  so  much  greatness  united  with  all  the 
attractions  of  a  charming  and  lovable  woman. 
The  Empress  Queen's  first  remark  was  to  say, 
with  slight  but  unmistakable  emphasis  on  the 
words,  "  Lady  Hamilton  "  : 

"  I  hope.  Lady  Hamilton,  you  are  pleased  with 
what  we  have  been  able  to  do  for  your  son." 

"  More  than  pleased,  your  Majesty,"  replied 
Lady  Hamilton.  "  I  am  deeply  and  eternally 
grateful  both  to  yourself  and  to  the  Emperor. 
157 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

And  if  my  son  ever  comes  into  his  inheritance  as 
an  English  gentleman  there  will  be  one  English- 
man who  can  never  speak  or  think  of  your  Majesty 
except  with  the  liveliest  gratitude." 

"  I  and  the  Emperor  were  peculiarly  gratified 
at  the  refusal  of  your  son  and  Captain  St.  Arnaud 
to  accept  of  their  parole  when  offered  it  by  the 
King  of  Prussia.  And  the  marvellous  escape  they 
made  gave  us  as  much  pleasure  as  it  did  chagrin  to 
the  King  of  Prussia.  These  incidents  of  personal 
daring  are  of  great  value  in  keeping  up  the  spirits 
of  men  engaged  in  defending  us  against  the  per- 
petual assaults  of  Prussia." 

Lady  Hamilton  bowed  deeply,  and  passed  on. 

It  was  Gavin's  turn  next,  and  to  him  Maria 
Theresa  made  one  of  those  tactful  speeches  which^ 
coming  from  a  sincere  heart,  never  failed  to  win 
the  hearts  of  others. 

"  I  have  had  great  pleasure  in  meeting  Lady 
Hamilton.  You  are  fortunate  in  having  such  a 
mother." 

Gavin's  eyes  shone  so  brightly  and  his  face  col- 
oured so  deeply  with  pleasure  that  he  was  on  the 
point  of  forgetting  what  little  court  etiquette  he 
had  learned  by  dropping  on  his  knee  and  seizing 
the  Empress  Queen's  hands  and  kissing  them  vio- 
158 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

lently.  Some  remnant  of  self-control  saved  him, 
but  his  air  and  manner  indicated  so  much  joy, 
pride,  and  gratitude  that  a  smile  went  around  the 
whole  circle  of  onlookers,  not  even  excepting 
the  Empress  Queen  and  Emperor. 

Lady  Hamilton  had  thought  that  years  of  pov- 
erty and  obscurity  would  give  her  a  dislike  for  the 
brilliant  scenes  of  a  court  levee.  On  the  contrary, 
she  found  herself  taking  pleasure  in  a  society  for 
which  her  birth  and  education  originally  fitted  her. 
She  was  haunted,  however,  by  a  horror  of  Sir 
Gavin  Hamilton's  appearance.  Great  as  had  been 
his  offences  toward  her,  he  was  still  enough  of  an 
object  of  interest  to  her  to  make  her  dread  a  pos- 
sible meeting  with  him.  She  once  had  loved  him 
well,  and  however  deep  the  resentment  she  felt 
toward  him,  she  could  never  regard  him  as  an  ob- 
ject of  indifference.  Gavin,  manlike,  could  not 
understand  this.  He  did  not  seek  the  places  where 
he  would  find  his  father,  but  he  certainly  did  not 
avoid  him.  As  he  had  never  known  affection  for 
his  father,  he  could  well  be  indifferent  to  meeting 
him. 

But  to  Lady  Hamilton's  intense  relief,  Sir  Gav- 
in did  not  appear  at  the  levee  that  evening.  This 
was  not  from  want  of  courage,  but  Sir  Gavin 
159 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

realized  that  he  would  be  at  a  hopeless  disadvan- 
tage. The  sympathies  of  the  court  and  society 
were  with  his  wife  and  son,  and,  besides,  he  felt 
perfectly  certain  that  no  place  or  person  would 
restrain  Gavin  if  Sir  Gavin  failed  in  respect  to 
Lady  Hamilton;  so  Sir  Gavin  wisely  went  some- 
where else  for  the  early  part  of  the  evening. 

Eleven  o'clock  was  the  hour  when  the  specially 
favoured  were  to  assemble  at  the  Chancellor's  splen- 
did house.  It  had  just  struck  the  hour  when  Gavin 
escorted  his  mother  up  the  broad  marble  stairs  of 
the  Chancellery  and  into  a  cosy  little  drawing- 
room,  where  a  choice  company  were  assembled. 
St.  Arnaud  was  there  before  them,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment more  Prince  Kaunitz  came  in,  with  profuse 
apologies  for  being  later  than  his  guests. 

"  But  I  really  believe,"  he  complained,  ^^  that 
the  Empress  Queen  can  work  twenty-four  hours 
in  the  day,  and  she  wishes  me  to  do  the  same. 
Will  you  believe  it,  in  the  middle  of  the  levee  she 
sent  me  word  that  I  must  look  over  a  batch  of 
dispatches,  awaiting  me  in  her  closet,  and  I  actu- 
ally fell  asleep  over  them,  as  I  had  been  at  work 
since  six  this  morning.  After  the  levee  her  Maj- 
esty came  into  the  closet  and  shook  me  with  her 
own  hand  until  I  waked.  And,  confidentially, 
160 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

I  may  say  I  did  not  open  my  eyes  as  soon  as  I 

might.     Then  she  said  in  the  briskest  tone  you 

can  imagine :    *  Come,  let  us  to  work.     We  must 

earn  our  bread.'    ^  Thank  you,  madam,'  I  replied, 

*  I  cannot  speak  for  your  Majesty,  but  I  know  the 

Emperor  and  myself  have  earned  at  least  a  month's 

bread   by    the    work    we   have    done    this    day.' 

'  Well,'   said  her  Majesty,   ^  I  have  spent  more 

hours  than  either  of  you  in  state  affairs  to-day, 

and  I  have  likewise  given,  as  I  always  do,  all  the 

attention  necessary  to  the  education  and  training 

of  my  ten  children.'     ^  The  good  God  has  spared 

me  the  ten  children,  madam,  but  I  believe  if  your 

Majesty  had  twenty  children  to  look  after,  you 

would  still  do  more  work  than  the  Emperor  and 

myself — and  we  are  two  of  the  most  persistently 

industrious  men  living.'     This  made  her  Majesty 

laugh,   and  she  said :    ^  Poor,  good  Kaunitz,  go 

home.     I  have  sent  the  Emperor  to  bed,  and  I 

alone  will  work  at  these  dispatches.'    I  would  have 

stayed  at  that,  but  she  sent  me  away  after  a  little. 

So  here  I  am,  late,  but  glad  to  get  here  on  any 

terms." 

The  great  Chancellor  was  a  charming  host,  and 

when  they  gathered  around  the  supper-table,   a 

small  company  of  the  brightest  wits  in  Vienna, 

161 
11 


THE  LIVELY  ADYENTUEES 

he  infected  every  one  present  with  his  own  gajety 
and  charm.  He  distinguished  Lady  Hamilton 
by  his  attentions,  and  it  was  a  small  but  cherished 
triumph  for  Gavin,  who  counted  that  among  the 
happiest  evenings  of  his  life. 

Supper  was  not  over  nor  the  guests  ready  to 
depart  until  some  time  after  midnight.  Others 
had  come  in,  and  the  party  grew  merrier  as  the 
hours  flew  by.  As  the  final  move  was  made  to  go. 
Prince  Kaunitz  stood  up,  with  a  glass  of  cham- 
pagne in  his  hand,  and  said : 

"  Before  parting,  pledge  with  me  the  health  of 
a  lady  who  has  only  lately  come  to  adorn  Vienna, 
but  who,  we  hope,  will  long  remain  with  us." 

The  Prince  fixed  his  smiling  glance  upon  Lady 
Hamilton,  who  sat  opposite  to  him.  She  rose,  too, 
but  the  smile  froze  on  her  lips  and  she  turned 
deadly  pale  at  the  noiseless  entrance  of  a  person 
by  a  door  directly  facing  her  and  behind  Prince 
Kaunitz.  The  Chancellor,  not  hearing  the  new 
arrival,  continued  with  much  grace :  "  The  lady 
whose  health  I  propose  is  Lady  Gavin  Hamilton.'' 

Lady  Hamilton's  sudden  pallor  and  agitation 

had  not  escaped  notice,  and  a  slight  movement  on 

the  part  of  the  newcomer  had  attracted  every  eye 

to  him.  The  Chancellor,  still  unhearing,  happened 

162 


OF  GAVIN   HAMILTON 

to  glance  into  a  tall  mirror  over  the  fireplace,  oppo- 
site him,  and  in  it  he  saw  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton, 
standing  perfectly  cool  and  composed,  his  hand  on 
his  dress  sword,  and  looking  Lady  Hamilton  full 
in  the  eye.  She,  blanched  and  trembling,  yet  un- 
dauntedly returned  his  gaze  as  she  stood.  The 
only  change  of  attitude  she  made  was  to  lay  her 
hand  lightly  upon  the  shoulder  of  Gavin,  who  sat 
next  her.  But  the  action  was  eloquent.  It  was 
as  if  she  said,  "  Here  is  my  charge  and  my  pro- 
tector in  one." 

Gavin's  face  had  turned  scarlet  as  his  mother's 
grew  white.  He  sat  quite  motionless,  for  once  not 
knowing  what  to  say  or  do.  Many  times  he  had 
wondered  what  he  should  do  when  his  mother  and 
father  met,  as  they  v/ere  likely  to  do  at  any  mo- 
ment after  Lady  Hamilton's  arrival  in  Vienna, 
and  he  had  never  yet  hit  upon  any  course  of 
action.  But  he  had  vauntingly  said  to  himself, 
"  When  the  time  comes  I  shall  do  the  right  thing." 
The  time  had  come,  and  he  sat  silent  and  discon- 
certed and  feeling  nothing  but  a  furious  anger  and 
helplessness. 

Lady  Hamilton  continued  to  look  Sir  Gavin 
calmly  in  the  eye,  and  the  pause  grew  momen- 
tous. A  clock  ticking  in  the  room  seemed  a  loud 
163 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

noise,  so  utter  was  the  stillness.  Seconds  passed, 
which  seemed  minutes,  and  as  Lady  Hamilton's 
glance  remained  fixed  on  Sir  Gavin,  they  seemed 
to  change  places.  She  grew  courageous,  and  the 
crimson  returned  to  her  face ;  while  the  fresh  colour 
left  his  cheeks,  and  he,  this  man  of  iron  composure, 
grew  tremulous.  The  Chancellor,  who  watched  it 
all,  and  who  enjoyed  it  from  the  bottom  of  his 
heart — for  Kaunitz  had  an  elfish  spirit  which 
made  him  delight  in  awkward  contretemps  for 
others — suddenly  spoke  in  a  very  cool,  soft  voice : 
"  Give  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  a  glass,"  he  said  to 
a  servant.  *^  He  will  join  us,  no  doubt,  in  our 
homage  to  Lady  Hamilton." 

All  there  fully  expected  to  see  Sir  Gavin  touch 
his  sword  as  he  replied  to  Prince  Kaunitz.  So, 
indeed,  he  wished  to  do;  but  Lady  Hamilton's 
steady  glance  held  him  as  if  by  mesmeric  power. 
Mechanically  and  against  his  own  volition  he 
raised  the  glass  handed  him  by  the  servant  to  his 
lips  and  drank  as  the  others  did.  Then,  quickly 
recovering  himself,  he  threw  the  costly  glass  on  the 
floor,  where  it  crashed  into  a  hundred  pieces,  and, 
turning  his  back,  walked  quickly  out. 

Whatever  Lady  Hamilton  felt,  she  had  managed 
to  retain  her  self-possession  perfectly.  'Not  so 
164 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Gavin.  He  felt  dazed  and  disconcerted,  and  but 
for  St.  Arnaud's  tactful  manner  of  getting  him 
out  of  the  room  would  have  showed  the  confusion 
which  reigned  in  his  soul.  Prince  Kaunitz  him- 
self put  Lady  Hamilton  into  the  carriage.  Gavin 
entered  after  her,  and  St.  Arnaud,  saving  he 
wished  a  breath  of  air  before  going  to  bed,  fol- 
lowed on  foot. 

Once  alone  in  the  carriage  with  his  mother, 
Gavin  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  saying,  "  How 
proud  I  was  of  you !  And  how  superior  did  you 
appear  to  the  wretch — " 

"  Hush,''  replied  Lady  Hamilton  in  a  strained 
voice ;  and  suddenly  bursting  into  tears,  she  cried : 
"  He  was  not  always  like  this.  I  cannot,  cannot 
think  that  he  was  always  bad.  He  was  a  gallant 
man  and  a  gentleman  when  I  married  him." 

Gavin  remained  silent,  amazed  and  confounded 
at  this  revelation  of  a  woman's  secret  tenderness, 
which  could  survive  twenty  years  of  neglect,  per- 
secution, and  unspeakable  humiliation. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  next  morning,  before  nine  o'clock,  a  mes- 
senger came  from  the  Empress  Queen  to  St.  Ar- 
naud,  commanding  his  immediate  presence  at  the 
imperial  palace. 

St.  Arnand  reappeared  at  dusk  in  the  evening. 
Gavin  was  sitting  by  the  window,  listening  with 
amusement  to  the  stories  Lady  Hamilton  was  tell- 
ing, in  her  soft,  pleasant  voice,  to  the  two  little 
girls,  Freda  and  Gretchen. 

"  Make  ready,''  said  St.  Arnaud  to  Gavin  as  he 
came  in,  "  to  start  for  Breslau  with  me  to-morrow, 
at  midnight,  with  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  King  of 
Prussia.  I  was  sent  for  by  the  Empress  Queen 
for  that  purpose.  All  is  settled.  I  was  allowed 
to  choose  a  brother  officer  to  accompany  me,  and 
I  chose  you." 

"  A  thousand,  thousand  thanks,"  cried  Gavin, 
who  realized  the  advantages  of  being  sent  upon 
such  an  expedition. 

"  I  warn  you,  though,"  continued  St.  Arnaud, 
166 


OF  GAVIN   HAMILTON 

warming  himself  by  the  fire,  as  the  little  girls 
lighted  the  candles  and  Lady  Hamilton  and  Gavin 
hung  breathless  upon  his  words,  "  our  mission  will 
fail.  The  King  of  Prussia  has  never  been  cele- 
brated for  his  kindness  to  the  imfortunate,  whether 
prisoners,  whom  he  generally  browbeats,  no  matter 
how  humble  or  how  exalted  their  station,  or  officers 
of  his  own  who  do  not  prove  always  equal  to  vic- 
tory. The  Prince  of  Bevern,  who  was  taken  pris- 
oner while  reconnoitring  near  Breslau  last  Octo- 
ber, wishes  a  letter  conveyed  to  the  King  of  Prus- 
sia, in  winter  quarters  at  Breslau.  The  Prince, 
you  must  know,  being  an  ally  of  Frederick's,  fully 
expected  steps  to  be  taken  at  once  to  secure  his  re- 
lease on  parole.  But  so  far  the  King  of  Prussia 
has  not  written  him  a  line,  or  shown  the  slightest 
interest  in  the  fate  of  one  of  his  best  friends  and 
generals.  The  poor  Prince,  tired  with  waiting, 
declares  there  must  be  some  misapprehension  on 
the  King's  part,  and  solicited  the  Empress  Queen 
to  allow  him  to  send  a  letter  to  the  King 
at  Breslau.  She  at  once  agreed,  for  she  is 
as  kind  to  prisoners  and  considerate  of  their 
feelings  as  Frederick  is  to  the  contrary.  She, 
therefore,  from  the  goodness  of  her  heart,  consent- 
ed to  transmit  the  letter,  but,  as  it  often  is,  there 
167 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

is  sound  political  wisdom  as  well  as  generosity  in 
her  action;  because,  if  Frederick  wishes  to  be- 
friend his  ally,  the  Prince  can  be  exchanged  for 
a  large  number  of  Austrian  prisoners,  and  if  his 
neglect  is  intentional,  it  will  place  Maria  The- 
resa's conduct  in  shining  contrast  to  her  great 
enemy's.  The  Emperor  and  Prince  Kaunitz  saw 
this  when  they  agreed  to  her  generous  proposal. 
The  Prince  intimated  a  wish  that  I  might  be  the 
officer  sent — I  was  able  to  show  him  a  trifling 
kindness  once  some  years  ago — and  the  Empress 
Queen  assented  with  the  utmost  alacrity.  Great 
and  magnanimous  as  she  is,  she  is  woman  enough 
to  be  willing  to  let  the  King  of  Prussia  see  us, 
his  two  prisoners,  free  and  in  good  case.  All  ar- 
rangements are  made.  I  have  letters  and  money 
and  horses,  and  we  start  on  the  stroke  of  midnight 
to-morrow.  We  shall  probably  be  gone  two  weeks, 
but  if  we  are  caught  by  the  spring  floods,  we  shall 
be  detained  until  they  subside,  for  the  Empress 
Queen  and  the  King  of  Prussia  between  them  have 
scarcely  left  a  bridge  standing  in  Silesia." 

Gavin  was  overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  an  ex- 
pedition of  so  much   interest;    and   his   mother 
showed  her  sympathy  with  him  by  at  once  begin- 
ning to  talk  over  preparations.     Gavin  ran  down- 
168 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

stairs  to  Madame  Ziska,  who  was  just  arranging 
the  lamp  and  fire,  and  placing  Kalenga  with  a 
book  for  the  evening,  before  going  to  the  opera. 

"  I  am  charmed,"  she  cried,  "  although  we  shall 
be  lonely  without  you  and  Captain  St.  Arnaud. 
But  you  will  have  so  much  to  tell  us  when  you  get 
back !  We  shall  be  glad  to  take  care  of  Lady  Ham- 
ilton while  you  are  away.  Luckily,  I  do  not  dance 
to-morrow  night,  so  we  can  spend  the  evening  to- 
gether.'' 

The  Empress  Queen,  with  her  usual  liberality, 
which  sometimes  exceeded  her  means,  having  pro- 
vided them  with  a  considerable  sum  of  money, 
next  day  they  made  comfortable  arrangements 
for  the  journey.  Prince  Kaunitz  offered  them 
a  small  but  excellent  travelling  chaise,  which, 
being  brought  to  the  house.  Lady  Hamilton  and 
Madame  Ziska  proceeded  to  stock  with  comforts 
not  likely  to  be  found  on  the  road.  By  eight 
o'clock  their  preparations  were  complete,  and  they 
sat  down  to  a  merry  supper  in  Madame  Ziska' s 
apartment. 

"  I  shall  miss  you  both  more  than  I  can  say," 

said  Lady  Hamilton,  "  and  I  shall  not  go  to  the 

palace  or  accept  any  invitations  until  you  return. 

But  that  I  will  not  mind.     I  shall  amuse  myself, 

169 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

if  Madame  Ziska  will  permit,  by  teaching  Freda 
and  Gretchen  English,  and  so  the  weeks  will  pass 
more  qnicldy/' 

"  I  shall  be  only  too  grateful/'  quickly  replied 
Madame  Ziska,  who  saw  the  advantage  of  her  two 
young  daughters  having  the  training  of  a  woman 
so  highly  educated  and  well  bred  as  Lady  Ham- 
ilton. 

"  And  pray/'  she  continued,  laughing,  as  they 
drew  up  to  the  table,  ^^  to  make  my  most  respectful 
compliments  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  to  tell  him 
that  his  snuff-box  was  treated  with  the  highest  re- 
spect wherever  I  showed  it,  and  often  got  me  ac- 
commodations at  inns  and  post-houses  w^hen  it 
would  have  been  otherwise  impossible.  Likewise 
say  to  him,  that  I  think  my  dancing  has  improved 
— the  Emperor  has  been  pleased  to  say  that  the 
ballerina  of  the  Queen  of  the  Naiads  is  the  best 
thing  yet  done  at  the  opera.'' 

St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  faithfully  promised  all. 

The  evening  sped  rapidly  away,  all,  even  Ka- 
lenga,  being  in  the  highest  spirits.  When  the 
clock  struck  twelve,  and  the  chaise  was  at  the  door, 
Kalenga,  raising  himself  in  his  wheeled  chair, 
proposed  the  health  of  the  two  departing  ones, 
which  was  drank  with  enthusiasm.  Then  fol- 
170 


OF  GAVIN   HAMILTON 

lowed  affectionate  farewells,  Gavin  running  back 
from  the  door  for  a  last  embrace  from  his  mother, 
and  soon  they  were  clattering  off  over  the  frozen 
roadway  toward  the  gates  of  the  city. 

As  soon  as  they  had  passed  the  gates,  and  got 
into  the  open  country  beyond,  St.  Arnaud,  who  was 
an  experienced  traveller,  settled  himself  to  sleep; 
but  Gavin,  who  had  never  made  a  journey  in  a 
chaise  before,  was  too  excited  to  sleep.  He  com- 
pared his  lot  then — an  officer  with  a  recognized 
position  as  a  gentleman,  regular,  though  small  pay, 
his  mother  with  him,  her  position  recognized,  a 
powerful  friend  in  St.  Arnaud,  and  other  true 
friends  in  Madame  Ziska  and  her  husband,  the 
protection  of  a  great  and  generous  sovereign  like 
Maria  Theresa — and  the  contemplation  of  these 
things  caused  a  wave  of  reverential  gratitude  to 
overwhelm  his  soul.  A  year  before  he  had  been 
a  private  soldier,  with  all  the  hardships  of  a  pri- 
vate soldier's  lot  in  those  times.  He  had  been 
ragged  and  cold  and  hungry;  his  fellow-soldiers, 
brave,  honest  fellows  though  they  might  be,  were 
rude  and  ignorant  men,  of  coarse  manners,  and 
rarely  could  any  of  them  read  or  write.  He  re- 
called that  he  had  not  been  really  unhappy  during 
the  time  that  he  had  trudged  along,  carrying  a 
171 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

musket — in  fact,  it  gave  him  something  like  a 
shock  to  remember  that  he  had  begun  to  like  the 
life,  and  felt  less  and  less  the  ambition  to  rise  to 
something  better.  Perhaps  he  would  have  risen 
in  any  event,  but,  surely,  the  finding  himself  alone 
with  St.  Arnaud  in  a  freezing  desert  after  Ros- 
bach  was  the  most  fortunate  circumstance  of  his 
whole  life.  These  thoughts  crowded  upon  his 
mind,  but  after  a  while  the  steady  motion  of  the 
chaise  made  him  drowsy,  and  he  slept. 

Seven  days  were  they  on  the  journey,  although 
they  travelled  as  fast  as  the  state  of  the  country 
would  permit,  and  at  noon  on  the  seventh  day  they 
came  within  sight  of  the  towers  and  steeples  of 
Breslau,  and  met  the  Prussian  outposts. 

St.  Arnaud,  tying  his  white  handkerchief  to  the 
point  of  his  sword,  got  out  of  the  chaise,  as  did 
Gavin,  and  advanced  toward  the  Prussian  sen- 
tinel. The  officer  of  the  guard  was  at  once  sent 
for,  and  after  a  very  short  delay  they  were  blind- 
folded and  driven  inside  the  walls  and  fortifica- 
tions. 

It  was  a  tedious  drive  to  the  quarters  courteously 
provided  for  them,  and  both  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin 
suspected  that  they  were  being  driven  in  a  round- 
about manner,  to  confuse  their  sense  of  locality. 
172 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Arrived  at  their  quarters,  the  Prussian  officer, 
Lieutenant  Bohlen,  led  them,  into  a  room,  and 
exacting  the  usual  promises  frW  them  that  they 
would  not  leave  the  house  without  permission  and 
an  escort,  removed  the  handkerchiefs  from  their 
eyes.  He  then  left,  to  report  their  arrival  at  head- 
quarters, after  ordering  dinner  to  loe  sent  them. 
The  dinner  was  very  good,  and  they  were  still 
at  it  when  Lieutenant  Bohlen  returned. 

"  The  King  will  see  you  to-night  after  he  has 
supped,  and  meanwhile  desires  that  you  be  made 
comfortable." 

Gavin  spent  a  good  part  of  the  afternoon  mak- 
ing a  toilet  for  the  King  of  Prussia.  He  bathed 
and  shaved,  and  put  on  clean  linen  from  top  to 
toe,  and  his  handsome  white  uniform  and  var- 
nished boots. 

"  And  I  think,"  he  complacently  remarked  to 
St.  Arnaud,  ^^  the  King  will  find  me  a  different 
person  from  the  great  gaby  he  hauled  out  of  the 
closet.  Oh,  I  shall  never  forgive  myself  for  not 
knocking  him  down — I  could  have  done  it  so 
easily." 

St.  Arnaud,  too,  had  made  an  elaborate  toilet, 
and  as  he  surveyed  himself  and  Gavin,  he  rather 
wounded  Gavin's  self-love  by  saying: 
173 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

"'^  You  and  I  are  obliged  to  dress  well.  The  King 
of  Prussia  is  shabbier  than  any  captain  in  his 
army — ^but — he  is  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  he 
can  afford  to  be  shabby." 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  another 
officer,  Major  Count  von  Armfeld,  appeared,  and 
politely  introducing  himself  as  aide-de-camp  to 
his  Majesty,  requested  them  to  go  with  him. 

It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night  as  the  party 
emerged  into  one  of  the  quainte&t  and  oldest  streets 
of  Breslau.  They  were  near  a  splendid  bridge 
across  the  Oder,  and  the  moon  shone  brightly  on 
the  placid  bosom  of  the  river.  Everywhere  were 
the  signs  of  military  occupation.  Churches  had 
been  turned  into  barracks,  public  buildings  into 
arsenals,  and  nearly  every  house  had  officers  bil- 
leted in  it. 

After  crossing  the  bridge,  they  entered  a  hand- 
some street,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  large  and 
'splendid  mansion.  A  couple  of  sentinels  were 
pacing  before  the  door. 

"  That  is  where  his  Majesty  lives,'^  said  Von 
Armfeld.  "  It  is  called  the  King's  House.  It 
has  a  garden  to  it,  in  which  the  King  takes  exer- 
cise." 

Von  Armfeld  giving  the  countersign,  they  en- 
174 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

tered  the  mansion,  and  ascended  a  handsome  stair- 
case. The  house  seemed  to  be  buzzing  like  a  bee- 
hive, all  the  rooms  being  lighted  up,  and  officers 
at  work  in  them.  At  the  end  of  a  long  corridor 
was  a  small  door,  before  which  they  stopped.  Von 
Armfeld  gave  four  peculiar  raps  on  the  door;  a 
voice  said,  "  Come  ^^ — and  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin 
found  themselves  in  the  presence  of  the  great  Fred- 
erick. He  was  sitting  by  the  fire  and  was  wrapped 
in  an  old  military  cape.  His  face  was  cadav- 
erous, his  eyes  sunken,  and  his  whole  appearance 
so  changed  by  ill  health,  that  St.  Arnaud  and  Gav- 
in would  have  had  difficulty  in  recognizing  him. 
But  if  they  found  recognition  of  the  King  diffi- 
cult, the  King  found  recognition  of  them  impossi- 
ble. He  looked  at  them  as  if  he  had  never  seen 
them  before,  and  motioning  them  to  sit,  consulted 
a  little  memorandum  before  him. 

"  Captain  St.  Arnaud  of  Major-General  Lou- 
don's corps  and  companion.  Sublieutenant  Hamil- 
ton. I  knew  General  Loudon.  I  might  have  had 
his  services  when  he  returned  from  Kussia,  but  I 
frankly  admit  I  saw  not  the  man  of  genius  under 
his  unpromising  exterior.  At  the  blockade  of 
Prague,  his  patent  as  Major-General,  sent  him  by 
the  Empress  Queen,  fell  into  the  hands  of  some  of 
175 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

my  hussars.     I  had  it  returned  to  him,  and  was 
pleased  to  serve  so  gallant  an  officer." 

St.  Arnaud  bowed  at  these  praises  of  his  com- 
mander, and  after  a  pause  Frederick  said  negli- 
gently: 

"  Have  you  the  Prince  of  Bevern's  letter  ?  " 

St.  Arnaud  rose,  and  taking  the  Prince  of 
Bevern's  letter  from  his  breast,  handed  it  to  Fred- 
erick, with  another  bow.  It  was  a  long  letter, 
and  both  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  watched  the 
King  closely  as  he  read.  He  had  a  speaking  face, 
and  as  he  read  page  after  page  of  the  letter  his 
countenance  grew  more  sinister.  St.  Arnaud  gave 
Gavin  a  slight  glance,  which  said  plainly :  "  The 
Prince  will  get  no  help." 

After  reading  it  over  carefully,  Frederick  laid 
it  down,  and  began  to  speak  on  the  topic,  apparent- 
ly, the  farthest  off,  in  more  ways  than  one,  from 
Bevern's  letter  that  could  be  imagined. 

"  Did  you  ever  study  astronomy,  Captain  St. 
Arnaud  ? " 

"  Considerably,  your  Majesty.  When  I  was  at 
the  College  of  St.  Omer's  in  France — for  I  had 
some  education  before  I  joined  the  army — I  was 
much  interested  in  it,  and  spent  many  nights  at 
the  telescope." 

176 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  I  confess,  I  knew  very  little  about  the  science. 
There  is  a  garden  communicating  with  the  one  we 
have  here,  and  in  it  is  an  observatory  with  a  fine 
telescope.  I  have  been  troubled  with  sleepless- 
ness this  winter,  and  I  have  spent  many  hours, 
in  consequence,  studying  the  planets.  I  have 
found  it  singularly  soothing.  N^othing  so  recon- 
ciles one  to  the  chances  and  changes  of  this  life 
as  looking  through  a  telescope.  There  one  sees 
the  infinite  smallness  of  triumphs ;  the  utter  noth- 
ingness of  misfortunes." 

"  True,  your  Majesty,"  replied  St.  Arnaud,  as 
composedly  as  if  he  had  come  all  the  way  from 
Vienna  to  discuss  astronomy.  "  Of  course,  the 
uppermost  thought  in  every  mind  is  whether  those 
infinite  worlds  are  inhabited  or  not." 

"  It  is  a  thought  too  staggering  to  pursue  very 
far.  The  first  conception  of  space  is  noble  and 
exhilarating  beyond  expression.  But  I  believe 
that  the  strongest  mind,  fixed  perpetually  on  the 
vast  possibilities  of  the  solar  system,  would  become 
unbalanced.  Astronomers  do  not  become  so,  be- 
cause they  pursue  the  science  with  exactness,  and 
do  not  let  imagination  into  the  matter  at  all.  But 
for  persons  like  you  and  me,  who  look  at  the 
myriads  of  worlds  with  the  eye  of  speculation, 

177 
12 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

it  soon  ceases  to  be  exhilarating ;  it  becomes  over- 
whelming, and  I,  for  one,  dare  not  dwell  too  long 
upon  it.  The  night  is  clear.  Will  you  go  with  me 
to  the  observatory  ?  " 

"  Certainly,'^  replied  St.  Arnaud,  without  show- 
ing the  faintest  surprise. 

Frederick  rose,  and  as  he  did  so  he  fell  into  a 
violent  paroxysm  of  coughing.  "When  it  was  over 
he  sank  into  his  seat,  too  overcome  with  weakness 
to  stand.  Annoyance  was  pictured  on  his  face 
at  this  exhibition  of  illness  before  the  officers 
of  the  Empress  Queen,  and  also  a  spirit  of  iron 
determination.  His  soul  was  ever  stronger  than 
his  body,  and  in  this  case  he  triumphed  over  illness 
and  exhaustion.  After  a  few  moments  he  rose, 
and  going  toward  the  door,  St.  Arnaud  respectful- 
ly opened  it,  and  he  passed  out.  He  held  his  hat 
in  his  hand,  but  had  omitted  to  take  his  cloak, 
which  hung  over  the  back  of  his  chair.  St.  Ar- 
naud had  not  noticed  the  omission,  but  Gavin  had, 
and  picking  the  cloak  up,  he  ran  after  the  King, 
saying,  "  Your  Majesty  would  do  well  to  take  this ; 
the  night  air  is  sharp." 

Frederick,  with  the  ghost  of  a  smile,  proceeded 
to  wrap  himself  up  in  the  cloak,  and  then  said: 
"  You  may  come  also." 

178 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Nothing  loath,  Gavin  followed.  Crossing  a  large 
garden,  they  ascended  the  stairs  of  a  moderately 
tall  observatory.  The  effort  made  Frederick 
gasp  and  tremble,  but  his  step  never  faltered  as 
he  climbed  up.  Reaching  the  top,  he  struck  his 
flint  and  steel,  and  with  St.  Arnaud's  assistance 
he  lighted  a  large  lamp,  saying,  "  That  is  visible 
from  every  part  of  the  house,  and  signifies  I 
am  in  the  observatory,  and  I  am  not  to  be  dis- 
turbed." 

The  telescope  was  soon  arranged,  and  the  King 
and  St.  Arnaud  were  deep  in  astronomical  sur- 
veys and  discussions.  St.  Arnaud  was  singularly 
w^ell  versed  in  astronomy,  and  Frederick  seemed  to 
be  fascinated  by  his  intelligent  conversation. 
Gavin,  a  mute  listener,  sat  near  by,  and  longed 
unspeakably  for  a  glimpse  through  the  telescope. 

An  hour  passed,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
while  St.  Arnaud  was  giving  his  views  in  his  clear 
and  musical  voice  on  certain  aspects  of  the  planet 
Saturn,  Frederick's  head  sunk  back  in  his  chair, 
his  head  rested  against  the  wall,  and  he  slept  peace- 
fully. 

Neither  St.  Arnaud  nor  Gavin  could  restrain  a 
feeling  of  pity  for  him  then.  His  face,  thin  and 
drawn,  was  a  picture  of  sadness.  He  looked  not 
179 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

only  ill,  but  frightfully  worn,  and  his  sleep  was  the 
sleep  of  exhaustion. 

St.  Arnaud  raised  his  hand  as  a  sign  to  Gavin 
to  keep  perfectly  still.  He  remembered  the  King's 
remark,  that  he  had  not  slept  well  of  late,  and 
thought  this  sudden  drowsiness  probably  a  blessed 
relief.  So,  indeed,  it  was.  Gradually,  as  he  slept 
more  soundly,  his  face  lost  its  look  of  pain.  Soon 
it  was  plain  there  was  no  danger  of  his  awaking. 
It  grew  chill  in  the  room,  and  Gavin,  softly  taking 
off  his  own  cloak,  laid  it  over  Frederick's  knees. 
The  warmth  appeared  to  soothe  him  still  more; 
he  sighed  profoundly,  settled  himself  more  com- 
fortably in  his  chair,  and  slept  like  a  child. 

Hours  passed,  ^o  one  came  to  disturb  them, 
for  the  light  shining  through  the  window  was  a 
warning  that  no  one  must  enter.  The  town  grew 
still  as  the  night  advanced,  and  in  the  deep  silence 
nothing  was  heard  but  the  faint  tramp  of  sentries 
and  the  quiet  flow  of  the  river.  But  after  mid- 
night this  changed.  The  wind  rose,  clouds  of  inky 
blackness  scurried  across  the  face  of  the  moon, 
and  presently  it  began  to  rain  furiously.  The 
heavy  drops  battered  dowTi  like  thunder  upon  the 
roof  of  the  observatory,  but  no  sound  awakened 
Frederick,  who  slumbered  peacefully  on. 
180 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Not  so  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud,  both  of  whom  sat 
up,  wide-awake.  There  was  so  little  chance  of 
awaking  the  King  that  they  conversed  together  in 
whispers. 

"  What  did  you  see  through  the  telescope  ? " 
asked  Gavin. 

"  That  the  King  has  no  mind  to  help  the  Prince 
of  Bevern.  I  saw  it  as  plainly  as  I  saw  the 
moon." 

"  It  is  strange  he  did  not  recognize  us." 

At  which  St.  Arnaud  made  a  gesture  which  in- 
dicated that  Frederick  knew  them  quite  as  well 
as  they  knew  him,  but  for  reasons  knowm  only  to 
himself  did  not  choose  to  admit  it. 

About  two  o'clock  the  storm  increased  in  severi- 
ty. The  sound  of  the  rushing  river  was  distinctly 
heard  over  the  wild  swirl  of  wind  and  rain.  Pres- 
ently there  was  a  roar  of  waters,  and  looking  out 
of  the  window  into  the  garden,  forty  feet  below, 
they  saw  it  was  flooded  several  feet.  A  culvert 
had  given  way,  and  the  swollen  river  poured 
itself  into  the  garden. 

In  the  house  lights  were  moving  about.     The 

King's  household  had  determined,  in  spite  of  his 

rigid  prohibition,  to  come  to  the  observatory  after 

him.     But  it  was  a  question  how  they  could  get 

181 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

there,  as  the  water  was  already  four  feet  deep  and 
rising  rapidly. 

Just  at  this  moment  Frederick  stirred  in  his 
sleep  and  waked.  Like  a  true  soldier,  he  had  his 
memory  and  all  his  wits  about  him  the  instant  he 
opened  his  eyes.  He  rose  at  once,  and  hearing  the 
noise  of  the  storm,  said : 

"  I  must  have  slept  many  hours — more  than  I 
have  slept  in  a  week.     I  feel  much  better  for  it." 

"  Look,  your  Majesty,"  said  St.  Arnaud,  open- 
ing the  window. 

Frederick  looked  out,  and  as  he  looked  he 
laughed.  The  running  about  in  the  house  was 
plainly  visible  by  the  moving  and  flashing  lights. 

"  They  are  all  in  a  panic  over  there.  I  suppose 
they  will  be  sending  after  me  in  a  boat.  It  will 
take  time  to  find  me." 

"  Pardon  me,  sire,"  said  Gavin.  "  If  your  Maj- 
esty will  trust  yourself  on  my  back,  I  can  get  you 
over  safely.  The  water  is  not  yet  up  to  my  waist, 
and  the  distance  is  short." 

"  Yes,"  cried  Frederick,  laughing  again. 
"  While  my  staff  are  racing  about  like  frightened 
chickens  in  a  barnyard  I  will  walk  in  on  them." 
He  stooped  and  picked  up  Gavin's  cloak,  which 
lay  on  the  floor. 

182 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  I  remember  your  laying  this  over  my  knees, 
although  you  thought  I  was  sleeping  too  soundly 
to  know  anything ;  but  come,  the  water  rises  every 
moment." 

He  went  rapidly  down  the  stairs,  followed  close- 
ly by  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud.  Gavin  stepped  bold- 
ly into  the  flood,  which  was  up  to  his  waist,  and 
cried  to  the  King : 

"  Your  Majesty  must  make  yourself  very  small, 
for  my  honour  is  engaged  to  get  you  across  without 
wetting  you.  And  you  must  also  wear  my  cloak 
over  your  own." 

Frederick  sprang  up  on  Gavin's  back  with  great 
agility,  drawing  his  heels  up  under  Gavin's  arms. 
St.  Arnaud  covered  him  up  well  with  the  two 
cloaks,  and  Gavin  stepped  lightly  forward  into 
the  flood.  His  yoimg  strength  enabled  him  to 
withstand  the  flow  of  the  waters  with  considerable 
steadiness,  and  it  was  plain  he  could  get  the  King 
over  without  difiiculty.  About  midway,  however, 
he  came  to  a  dead  stop. 

"  Your  Majesty,"  he  asked,  "  do  you  remember 
us  J,  and  that  night  at  the  country  house  in  Silesia, 
and  Madame  Ziska  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do,"  coolly  responded  Frederick, 
"  and  had  you  not  lost  your  senses,  it  would  have 
183 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

been  by  no  means  impossible  for  you  to  have  made 
your  escape  by  a  rush,  when  I  broke  the  door  in." 

"  So  I  have  often  thought,  your  Majesty,  if 
only  I  had  had  the  wit  to  knock  your  Majesty 
down.  We  declined  to  accept  your  parole,  but 
you  see  we  got  away  from  Glatz  just  the  same." 

"  I  know  it.  That  ridiculous  old  Kollnitz  and 
his  ^  system.'  But  I  have  a  better  man  there  than 
Kollnitz.    You  could  not  do  it  so  easily  now." 

"  Sire,  the  Epipress  Queen  gave  me  a  sword 
for  that  escape,  and  both  of  us  got  promotion." 

"  Very  naturally.  Women  are  always  taken 
with  those  showy  things,  which  count,  however, 
for  little  in  the  long  run.  Your  Empress  Queen 
is  like  the  rest  of  her  sex." 

"  Sire,  I  do  not  know  if  you  mean  that  disre- 
spectfully or  not,  but  if  you  say  one  disparaging 
word  about  my  sovereign  I  will  drop  you  into  the 
water  if  I  am  shot  for  it  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Then  I  shall  certainly  speak  of  the  Empress 
Queen  with  the  highest  respect,  and  feel  it,  too, 
until  I  am  safe  on  dry  land.  Oh,  the  devil !  Go 
on!" 

"  With  pleasure,  sire,  since  you  have  so  hand- 
somely respected  my  wishes,"  replied  Gavin,  and 
a  few  more  strides  brought  him  to  the  house. 
184 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

The  steps  were  submerged,  but  a  window  on  the 
ground  floor  was  yet  a  few  incbes  above  tbe  water. 
A  general  in  epaulets  and  a  cook  with  a  paper 
cap  on  bis  bead  beard  tbe  sound  as  tbe  King 
rapped  loudly  on  tbe  panes.  Tbe  window  was 
raised  by  tbem,  and  witb  tbeir  belp  Frederick 
stepped  inside.  Wben  be  tbrew  off  bis  outer  cloak 
be  was  as  dry  as  a  bone.  Gavin,  wbo  bad  climbed 
in  after  bim,  was  like  a  river  god,  water  streaming 
from  every  part  of  bim.  Frederick,  wbo  disliked 
to  be  questioned,  said  to  tbe  officer : 

"  Take  tbis  gentleman  and  provide  bim  witb 
dry  clotbes.  He  is  Lieutenant  Gavin  Hamilton 
of  tbe  Imperialist  army,  as  you  know.  His  com- 
panion. Captain  St.  Arnaud,  is  still  at  tbe  obser- 
vatory. Let  a  boat  be  sent  for  Captain  St.  Arnaud 
as  soon  as  possible." 

Wbile  Frederick  was  speaking,  be  bad  turned 
to  a  table  near  by,  and  was  writing  a  few  words 
rapidly.  He  banded  tbe  sbeet  of  paper  to  Gavin. 
On  it  was  scrawled  in  tbe  King's  peculiar  band- 
writing:  "  On  tbe  nigbt  of  tbe  first  of  Marcb, 
1758,  Lieutenant  Gavin  Hamilton  brougbt  me  on 
bis  back  tbrougb  my  flooded  garden  at  Breslau, 
witb  tbe  water  four  feet  deep.  Midway  be 
stopped  and  we  conversed.  Tbe  name  of  tbe  Em- 
185 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

press  Queen  being  mentioned,  Lieutenant  Hamil- 
ton told  me  if  I  should  speak  disrespectfully  of  her 
Majesty  he  would  drop  me  in  the  water  if  he  were 
shot  next  morning  for  it.  I  had  no  thought 
of  speaking  disrespectfully  of  her  Majesty,  but  if 
I  had  done  so,  I  have  no  doubt  Lieutenant  Hamil- 
ton would  have  instantly  carried  out  his  threat. 
Frederic.'' 

Gavin's  mouth  came  open  in  a  tremendous  grin 
as  he  read  this,  the  more  so  when  Frederick  good- 
humouredly  added: 

"  That  ought  to  be  good  for  one  step  in  promo- 
tion at  least." 


CHAPTER  IX 

All  througli  the  night  the  storm  raged.  The 
air  grew  warm  and  murky,  and  thunder  and  light- 
ning roared  and  flashed.  The  river,  swollen  by 
other  streams,  overflowed  its  banks,  and  flooded 
all  of  the  old  part  of  the  town  where  the  King^s 
headquarters  were.  St.  Arnaud  had  been  brought 
from  the  observatory  in  a  boat,  and  had  got 
drenched  to  the  bone  in  the  process.  There  was  no 
possibility  at  that  hour,  between  two  and  three 
in  the.  morning,  of  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  getting 
back  to  their  own  quarters.  Supplied  with  dry 
clothes  by  the  ofiicers  of  the  King's  military  fam- 
ily, and  given  a  room  with  a  bed  and  a  sofa  in  it, 
they  threw  themselves  down,  still  dressed,  to  sleep. 
Gavin,  with  the  readiness  of  a  child  to  go  to  sleep, 
dropped  into  a  deep  slumber  within  two  minutes. 
St.  Arnaud,  much  fatigued,  yet  found  himself 
kept  awake  by  the  commotion  of  the  storm.  Great 
peals  of  deafening  thunder  shook  the  house;  the 
wind,  blowing  frightfully  hard,  rattled  the  win- 
187 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

dows  until  it  sounded  like  a  continuous  discharge 
of  musketry.  The  surging  of  the  waters  could 
be  heard  only  at  intervals,  while  torrents  of  rain 
descended.  St.  Arnaud,  weary,  but  quite  unable 
to  sleep,  rose,  and  went  to  the  window.  The  black- 
ness of  darkness  encompassed  everything  except 
for  the  lightning  flashes,  which  zigzagged  across  the 
inky  sky,  showing  the  whole  dreadful  scene.  The 
streets  were  altogether  submerged,  and  both  sen- 
try boxes  had  floated  away.  Trees  were  twisted  off 
and  sent  scurrying  along  the  raging  waters;  some 
bodies  of  drowned  animals  floated  by. 

In  the  gleam  of  the  lightning  St.  Arnaud  saw 
that  all  the  houses  in  the  neighbourhood  were 
lighted  up  and  the  people  astir.  In  the  house  in 
which  he  was  no  one  slept  except  Gavin.  St.  Ar- 
naud heard  officers  moving  about,  prepared,  in 
case  of  a  catastrophe,  which  was  far  from  im- 
probable. 

As  the  wild  sky  turned  from  black  to  a  pallid 
gray,  without  any  abatement  of  the  storm,  St. 
Arnaud  saw  all  the  destruction  it  had  wrought. 
Opposite  him  was  a  house  with  far-projecting 
eaves.  The  wind,  which  had  lulled  somewhat,  sud- 
denly rose  to  a  gust,  and  the  roof  went  skyward 
with  a  crash  of  breaking  timbers.  A  cry  from 
188 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

invisible  sources  rent  the  air,  as,  at  a  window,  in 
the  roofless  house,  appeared  a  man,  half  dressed. 
The  house  shook  and  tottered,  the  walls  seeming 
about  to  fall  in.  The  man,  a  young  fellow,  evi- 
dently a  workman,  coolly  prepared  to  spring  into 
the  water.  He  leaped  none  too  soon.  The  walls, 
weakened  by  the  floods  and  the  tearing  away  of  the 
roof,  cracked  inward  as  he  struck  the  water.  He 
was  evidently  no  swimmer,  but  with  great  self- 
possession  floated  flat  on  his  back.  A  dozen  per- 
sons appeared  at  the  neighbouring  windows,  ready 
to  assist  him;  but,  carried  by  the  flood,  he  was 
floating  straight  for  a  little  balcony  on  which  the 
window  of  St.  Arnaud's  room  opened.  St.  Arnaud 
stepped  out  promptly,  to  catch  him  as  he  passed ; 
but  to  his  surprise  looked  up,  and  Gavin  was  be- 
side him. 

"  That  infernal  racket  waked  me  at  last,"  he 
said. 

Both  of  them  sat  astride  the  balustrade  in  order 
to  catch  the  man  still  floating  straight  toward 
them.  He  reached  Gavin  first,  who,  leaning  for- 
ward, with  his  long,  muscular  arms  outstretched, 
caught  him  firmly,  and  proceeded  to  drag  him  on  to 
the  balcony  by  main  force.  In  some  way,  however_> 
Gavin  lost  his  balance,  and  if  St.  Arnaud  had  not 
189 


THE  LIVELY  ADYENTUEES 

come  to  the  rescue  would  have  gone  over  himself. 
As  it  was,  he  could  do  little  toward  helping  St. 
Arnaud  to  drag  the  workman  on  to  the  balcony; 
and  as  soon  as  it  was  accomplished  he  limped  in- 
side the  open  window.  Half  a  dozen  officers, 
among  them  the  King's  surgeon,  were  then  in  the 
room  to  assist  the  workman,  who  had  suffered  noth- 
ing worse  than  a  wetting,  and  to  ask  if  there  were 
any  persons  in  the  house  when  it  collapsed.  There 
were  none,  and  a  servant  was  directed  to  take  the 
man  below  and  give  him  some  dry  clothes.  While 
this  was  going  on  no  one  noticed  Gavin,  who  sat  on 
a  chair,  nursing  his  leg.  When  they  turned  to 
him,  however,  he  was  slipping  off  his  chair,  and  the 
next  instant  he  lay  in  a  heap  on  the  floor,  in  a  dead 
faint. 

The  King's  surgeon  was  down  on  his  knees  in 
a  moment,  trying  to  bring  Gavin  to,  while  his 
clothes  were  unloosed  by  St.  Arnaud.  In  a  few 
minutes  he  recovered,  only  to  groan  with  pain. 
His  leg  was  badly  wrenched,  and  when  the  sur- 
geon examined  it,  he  horrified  both  Gavin  and  St. 
Arnaud  by  saying: 

"  You  have  a  bad  sprain,  and  you  will  not  be 
able  to  move  to-day  or  to-morrow,  or  for  a  good 
many  days  to  come." 

190 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

And  too  true  it  proved. 

With  daylight  came  an  abatement  of  the  storm, 
but  an  increase  of  the  flood.  There  had  been  many 
casualties,  and  as  long  as  the  flood  lasted  there 
was  great  danger.  The  King,  who  had  not  slept 
since  he  left  the  observatory,  was  active  in  taking 
measures  of  safety  for  the  soldiers  and  citizens; 
but  he  did  not  forget  to  have  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud 
made  comfortable.  He  expressed  much  sympathy 
for  Gavin's  misfortune,  inquired  how  they  were 
lodged,  ordered  two  communicating  rooms  to  be 
given  to  them,  and  desired  them  to  ask  for  any- 
thing they  wished. 

Their  position,  however,  was  highly  uncom- 
fortable., Gavin  proved  the  worst  of  patients 
from  the  beginning.  He  was  fretful  and  irritable, 
impatient  of  pain,  and  made  himself  much  worse 
by  his  wilfulness  and  childishness.  St.  Arnaud, 
whom  he  adored,  was  the  chief  victim  of  his  wrath. 
Nothing  could  exceed  St.  Arnaud's  kindness  and 
unflagging  attention,  but  it  was  helpless  to  soothe 
Gavin.  When  St.  Arnaud  was  present,  everything 
he  said  and  did  was  wrong.  When  he  was  absent 
for  a  few  moments,  he  was  met  with  a  storm  of 
reproaches  on  his  return.  He  bore  it  all  with  smil- 
ing patience;  but  when  once  he  could  not  refrain 
191 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

from  laughing,  Gavin  threw  himself  about  so,  in 
his  agony  of  impatience,  that  even  St.  Arnaud  was 
a  little  frightened. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  of  the  accident,  the 
King  sent  word  that  he  would  come,  after  he  had 
supped,  and  see  Lieutenant  Hamilton.  St.  Ar- 
naud proceeded  to  make  him  ready.  He  lay  on^ 
a  sofa,  his  unlucky  leg  on  a  chair.  He  growled 
and  grumbled  when  St.  Arnaud,  with  the  tender- 
ness and  dexterity  of  a  woman,  made  him  pre- 
sentable for  the  King.  As  St.  Arnaud  brushed 
■Gavin's  dark  hair,  which  he  had  let  grow  in  ring- 
lets since  he  had  become  an  officer,  Gavin  snapped 
out: 

"  I  did  not  curry  my  horse  so  hard  when  I  was 
a  private  soldier.'' 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  St.  Arnaud  coolly ; 
"but  you  must  remember  I  am  not  used  to  currying 
horses — I  have  had  no  instruction  in  that  line." 

Gavin  remained  silent,  but  only  slightly 
ashamed. 

St.  Arnaud  had  a  real  fear  that  Gavin  would 
not  behave  himself  properly  on  the  occasion  of 
the  King's  visit;  but  he  had  not  altogether  given 
the  complete  rein  to  folly. 

About  eight  o'clock,  the  King,  entirely  unat- 
192 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

tended,  entered.  Frederick  of  Prussia  had  a  pas- 
sion for  men  of  esprit,  and  at  this  period  of  his 
career,  having  lost  much  of  his  taste  for  the  other 
amusements  of  life,  he  grew  more  fond  of  the 
society  of  brilliant  and  polished  men  than  ever  be- 
fore. Especially  was  this  true  concerning  French- 
men, who  had  for  him  a  peculiar  charm;  and  St. 
Arnaud,  on  the  two  occasions  they  had  met,  had 
afforded  him  extreme  entertainment.  On  St.  Ar- 
naud's  part,  he  perfectly  understood  how  far  he 
stood  in  the  King's  good  graces.  A  knowledge  of 
courts  had  given  him  a  just  appreciation  of  this 
sort  of  favour  from  princes ;  he  did  not  delude  him- 
self with  the  idea  that  it  meant  a  solid  regard,  and 
he  despised  the  understandings  of  those  who  take 
the  chance  liking  of  monarchs  for  more  than  what 
it  is.  He  maintained,  therefore,  with  Frederick 
an  attitude  of  easy,  but  respectful  independence, 
which  gave  their  intercourse  enough  of  equality 
to  be  agreeable.  As  for  Gavin,  Frederick  only  re- 
membered him  as  a  spirited  but  rather  awkward 
boy;  however,  Gavin's  threat  to  throw  him  into 
the  water  if  he  spoke  disrespectfully  of  the  Em- 
press Queen  had  diverted  him  extremely,  and  to 
divert  the  King  of  Prussia  once  was  a  guarantee  of 
being  expected  to  do  it  again. 

193 
13 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

Gavin,  who  was  lying  on  the  sofa  with  his  leg  on 
a  chair,  endeavoured  to  rise,  as  St.  Arnaud  did, 
when  the  King  entered;  but  Frederick  good- 
naturedly  ordered  him  to  keep  still. 

"  I  shall  not  take  advantage  of  your  helpless- 
ness to  speak  disrespectfully  of  the  Empress 
Queen,"  he  said,  laughing;  and  motioning  St. 
Arnaud  to  be  seated,  drew  a  chair  up  to  the  fire. 

"  The  fact  is,"  he  continued,  with  a  slight  laugh, 
as  musical  as  his  delightful  voice,  "  I  never  speak 
disrespectfully  of  her  Majesty.  It  has  been  my 
misfortune  to  be  much  disliked  by  two  ladies — the 
Czarina  of  Russia  and  the  Empress  Queen — and, 
consequently,  I  have  led  a  bad  life  of  it  for  sev- 
eral years.  These  two  ladies,  between  them,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  the  Dauphiness  of  France, 
have  leagued  against  me  populations  amounting  to 
a  hundred  millions  of  souls.  There  are  not  five 
millions  of  Prussians;  but  we  have  tried  to  give 
a  good  account  of  ourselves." 

"  And  your  Majesty  has  certainly  done  so,"  re- 
plied St.  Arnaud.  "  Luckily  for  us,  your  Majesty 
does  not  command  everywhere." 

"  ISTo ;  and  I  have  Winterfeld  no  longer." 

St.  Arnaud  had  perfect  control  of  his  counte- 
nance, and  it  was  design,  and  not  inadvertence 
194 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

which  made  him,  at  the  mention  of  Winterfeld,  fix 
his  clear  eyes  upon  Frederick's,  equally  clear,  and 
piercing  in  their  power  of  expression.  He  remem- 
bered that  General  Winterfeld,  who  had  been 
called  the  King's  only  friend,  had  lost  his  life  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Prince  of  Bevern's  unfortu- 
nate campaign,  and  it  had  been  said  that  Frederick 
held  Bevern's  faulty  arrangements  partly  account- 
able for  Winterfeld' s  death. 

After  a  pause,  St.  Arnaud  spoke: 

"  General  Winterfeld  was  under  the  command 
of  the  Prince  of  Bevern,  to  whom  I  am  indebted 
for  the  opportunity  of  seeing  your  Majesty  at  this 
time." 

A  smile,  faint  but  full  of  meaning  and  not  alto- 
gether pleasant,  appeared  in  the  corners  of  Fred- 
erick's mouth  and  shone  in  his  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  tapping  his  breast.  "  I  have 
Bevern's  letter  here.  I  have  read  it  attentively. 
Be  sure  you  tell  him  that." 

"  And  permit  me,  sire,  to  say,  that  I  apprehend 
I  shall  have  no  other  reply  to  take  the  Prince 
of  Bevern  when  I  return." 

^^  You  are  a  good  diplomatist.  Captain  St.  Ar- 
naud. You  know  my  meaning,  without  plaguing 
me  with  questions." 

195 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  Thanks,  sire ;  and  as  far  as  my  errand  goes 
I  might  leave  to-morrow  morning.  But  this  young 
gentleman  will  not  be  able  to  move  for  a  week  at 
least,  so  the  surgeon  says." 

"  And  there  is  not  a  bridge  standing  within 
fifty  miles,  I  hear.  So  make  yourself  satisfied, 
and  exchange  winter  quarters  at  Breslau  for  win- 
ter quarters  at  Vienna  for  a  little  while.  You  will 
not  find  it  gay.  Last  month,  my  sister,  the  Prin- 
cess Amelia,  was  here,  and  there  were  some  balls 
and  concerts ;  but  as  the  time  for  taking  the  field 
approaches  there  is  work  to  be  done.  I  have  been 
wretchedly  ill,  and  do  not  think  I  shall  be  well 
until  spring  opens,  and  I  again  sleep  in  a  tent  with 
the  flap  open." 

"  Beating  us  evidently  does  not  agree  with  your 
Majesty's  health." 

"Ah,  well!  This  year — who  knows?  But,  as 
you  are  a  well-informed  man,  can  you  tell  me  of 
any  campaign  of  ancient  or  modern  times  in  which 
there  have  been  such  vast  vicissitudes  as  in  the  last 
eight  months  ? " 

"  Indeed,  I  cannot,  your  Majesty.  The  French 
and  Austrians  have  alternated  a  Te  Deum  with  a 
De  profundis  ever  since  this  year's  leaves  appeared 
on  the  trees." 

196 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  So  have  I.  Those  two  ladies  I  spoke  of  in 
Austria  and  Kussia  have  given  me  no  peace  at  all, 
nor  do  they  seem  likely  to.  I  hear  the  Empress 
Queen  has  horsed  her  artillery  from  the  imperial 
stables.  We  are  quits,  for  I  have  melted  up  moun- 
tains of  useless  silver  knick-knacks  at  my  unused 
palaces  for  money  for  my  pay  chest.  You  see,  I 
am  frank — the  wiseacres  say  I  am  too  free  in  my 
talk — but  I  take  it,  that  the  world  notes  my  de- 
termination to  maintain  my  kingdom  the  better 
only  for  seeing  how  ready  I  am  to  sacrifice  for 
my  army  the  baubles  which  most  kings  cherish  far 
beyond  their  value." 

"  True,  sire,  her  Majesty  made  no  secret  of  it 
when  she  ordered  the  doors  of  the  imperial  stables 
to  be  thrown  wide,  and  Field-Marshal  Daun  to 
take  the  best  of  all  he  saw." 

During  this  talk  Gavin  had  listened  with  all 
his  ears.  The  reflection  came  to  him  with  great 
force, "How much  more  is  there  in  personality  than 
in  words!  Everything  said  by  this  great  man, 
no  matter  how  much  it  resembles  the  language  of 
other  men,  has  a  deeper  significance.  His  beauti- 
ful and  eloquent  eyes  and  his  strangely  musical 
voice  make  even  his  most  ordinary  conversation 
memorable."  And  for  once  Gavin  was  willing  to 
197 


THE  LIVELY  AD VENTUKES 

remain  silent  and  a  listener;  so,  too,  was  St.  Ar- 
nand;  but  Frederick  was  an  admirable  talker  in 
two  senses — he  listened  as  gracefully  as  he  talked, 
and  his  pleasure  in  being  entertained  was  as  strong 
as  his  pleasure  in  entertaining.  He  led  St.  Ar- 
naud  to  Speak  of  the  French  court.  St.  Arnaud, 
who  had  infinite  tact,  managed  to  describe  it  with- 
out touching  on  the  ugly  side  of  it — the  scandals, 
the  corruption,  the  weakness  of  the  King,  and  the 
ascendancy  of  Madame  de  Pompadour.  He  did 
not  once  mention  the  favourite's  name ;  but  when  a 
pause  in  the  conversation  came,  Frederick  said 
suddenly : 

"  And  how  about  Madame  de  Pompadour  ?  " 

"  I  thought,  sire,"  responded  St.  Arnaud,  ^'  that 
you  did  not  know  of  her  existence.  At  least,  M. 
Voltaire  says  when  he  gave  you  Madame  de  Pom- 
padour's regards,  you  said,  ^  I  don't  know  her.'  " 

Frederick  looked  gravely  into  St.  Arnaud's 
eyes,  and  then  they  both  burst  out  laughing,  and 
Frederick  said : 

"  You  should  have  seen  M.  Voltaire's  face  be- 
fore and  after  I  made  my  remark.  Harlequin  in 
the  show  did  not  change  so  rapidly.  I  think  that 
lady  does  not  like  me,  either;  and  as  for  your 
Dauphiness — well,  I  am  truly  unfortunate  in  be- 
198 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ing  so  unpopular  with  the  fair  sex.  I  have  done 
nothing  to  deserve  it.  Had  they  but  allowed  me 
to  remain  in  peace!  For  peace  is  my  dream,  let 
me  tell  you.  A  man  must  have  his  dreams;  who 
should  know  that  better  than  I,  whose  early  life 
was  all  spent  in  dreams  ?  Even  now  I  am  fighting 
to  conquer  a  peace. ^' 

"  So  say  all  great  captains,  sire." 

"  True ;  but  most  great  captains  have  ulterior 
views.  I  have  already  all  I  want  in  this  life — ^the 
throne  of  Prussia — if  only  those  ladies  I  spoke  of 
would  let  me  enjoy  it  in  quietness." 

"  And  the  Empress  Queen  bewails  daily  that 
she,  too,  must  ever  be  at  war.  If  only  she  and  the 
Emperor  could  have  a  little  time  to  enjoy  their 
heritage !  The  Empress  Queen  takes  great  inter- 
est in  guns  both  great  and  small.  Prince  Leuch- 
tenberg,  who  is  the  head  of  our  artillery,  often 
comes  to  the  palace  with  his  books  and  portfolios 
of  drawings,  and  her  Majesty  says,  '  Such  beau- 
tiful guns  are  too  good  to  be  used  in  killing  the 
poor  soldiers  of  the  King  of  Prussia.'  " 

"  But  they  are  probably  not  too  good  to  be  used 
in  killing  the  King  of  Prussia.     Eh  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  think,  sire,  that  her  Majesty  counts 
you  among  her  favourites,  or  contemplates  leaving 
199 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

you  any  part  of  her  private  fortune,  or  even  money 
to  buy  a  mourning  ring." 

"  She  hates  me  like  the  devil.  However,  speak- 
ing of  those  guns,  the  Austrian  artillery  is  as  good 
as  any  in  the  world,  my  own  not  excepted.  You 
did  not  invent  the  iron  rammers  and  ramrods,  but 
as  soon  as  the  Prince  of  Dessau  contrived  them 
you  adopted  them.  Men  have  never  ceased  to  labour 
diligently  at  the  task  of  inventing  implements 
with  which  to  destroy  men." 

"  And  never  will,  sire." 

"  Let  us  be  thankful  that  a  part  of  their  energy 
is  put  into  efforts  to  save  life.  I  have  cause  to  be 
grateful  for  that,  because  but  for  the  new  dis- 
covery of  the  Jesuits'  bark,  I  would  have  died  of 
fever  this  winter.  Even  the  Empress  Queen  would 
have  pitied  me  if  she  had  seen  me  in  my  paroxysms 
of  burning  fever  and  shivering  cold.  The  Jesuits' 
bark,  though,  has  helped  me." 

The  conversation  continued  for  hours.  St. 
Arnaud  seemed  to  exercise  a  charmed  spell  over 
Frederick,  and  when  he  laughingly  o^svned  up  to  a 
weakness  for  making  verses,  Frederick  cried  out 
with  delight: 

"  Now  have  I  found  a  man  who  can  both  fight 
and  write.  !N^ature  had  not  made  up  her  mind 
200 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

whether  I  should  be  a  soldier  or  a  poet  or  a  musi- 
cian when  she  thrust  me  into  this  world.  Fate 
decided  the  question  for  her,  but  Nature  will  still 
be  heard.  I  have  made  bushels  of  verses  this  last 
autumn,  in  spite  of  Rosbach  and  Leuthen.  And 
my  flute  is  always  in  my  pocket,  though  not  often 
at  my  mouth." 

Gavin  could  remain  silent  no  longer.  He  cried 
out: 

"  And,  your  Majesty,  St.  Arnaud  still  plays  the 
harpsichord.  Don't  you  remember  the  night  you 
took  us  prisoners  how  beautifully  he  played  and 
sang,  too  ? '' 

Frederick,  who  was  in  high  good  humour, 
laughed  extremely  at  this,  exchanging  significant 
glances  with  St.  Arnaud,  who  said: 

"  Pray,  pardon  him,  sire.  He  has  not  much  ex- 
perience with  sovereigns." 

"  That's  true,"  responded  Gavin ;  "  but  then, 
your  Majesty,  when  one  has  had  a  man's  hand  on 
his  coat  collar,  and  has  been  dragged  through 
broken  glass,  as  I  was  by  you,  it  makes  one  feel 
well  acquainted  with  that  man,  even  if  he  be  a 
king." 

An  aide-de-camp,  walking  up  and  down  the  cor- 
ridor outside  the  door,  stopped  another  young 
201 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

officer,   going   in  an   opposite   direction,   whisper- 
ing: 

"  Do  you  hear  the  King  laughing  in  there  with 
those  two  French  officers  ?  Did  ever  you  hear  him 
so  free  and  merry  with  us  ?  " 

"  ISTever." 

"  And  did  ever  you  hear  him  praise  any  of  his 
own  generals  as  he  is  always  praising  the  French 
and  Austrian  generals  ?  " 

*^  Yes ;  he  praised  Winterf eld  after  he  was 
dead." 

"  They  have  brought  a  letter  from  the  Prince  of 
Bevern,  about  his  exchange.  Do  you  think  the 
King  will  lift  his  finger  for  Bevern  ?  " 

"  As  well  expect  water  to  run  up  hill.  This 
King  of  ours  is  rightly  called  Great,  but  he  has 
ever  regarded  misfortune  as  a  crime.  So,  there- 
fore, let  us  always  be  lucky,  and  we  shall  be  re- 
warded." 

The  officer  passed  on,  laughing.  Just  then  St. 
Arnaud,  opening  the  door  of  their  room,  respect- 
fully ushered  the  King  out,  who  was  saying : 

"  Kemember,  the  first  clear  night  we  go  to  the 
observatory  together."  The  young  aide,  standing 
rigidly  at  attention,  saluted  the  King,  who  passed 
on  without  seeing  him. 

202 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Several  days  went  by,  that  seemed  a  nightmare 
for  Gavin,  and  a  strange  but  not  unpleasant  dream 
to  St.  Arnaud.  Gavin's  injury,  which  was  really 
trifling,  w^as  aggravated  by  his  impatience.  He 
persisted  in  trying  to  walk  about  his  room,  in 
spite  of  the  surgeon's  prohibition,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  week  was  but  little  better  off  than  he  had 
been  at  the  beginning.  St.  Arnaud  had  his  hands 
full  in  trying  to  take  care  of  him,  and  every  even- 
ing he  spent  with  the  King.  Frederick,  to  ensure 
freedom  from  disturbance,  would  go  to  St.  Ar- 
naud's  room.  A  harpsichord  had  been  placed 
there,  and  often  the  sound  of  the  harpsichord  and 
flute  would  float  out.  There  had  been  no  visits 
for  several  nights  to  the  observatory,  as  the  wind 
and  rain  storms  had  been  succeeded  by  heavy 
snows.  St.  Arnaud  had  completely  fascinated 
Frederick,  who  was  always  singularly  susceptible 
to  the  charm  of  conversation.  It  was  impossible 
for  any  one  to  resist  Frederick's  own  powers  to 
please  when  he  exerted  himself,  and  St.  Arnaud 
found  himself  falling  more  and  more  under  the 
spell  of  a  great  and  comprehensive  mind,  like  that 
of  the  King  of  Prussia. 

Within  ten  days,  though,  in  spite  of  doing 
many  things  to  retard  his  recovery,  Gavin's  leg 
203 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

grew  so  much  better  that  St.  Arnaud  said  to  the 
King: 

"  Sire,  Lieutenant  Hamilton  is  now  in  condi- 
tion to  travel,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  return,  especial- 
ly oiit  of  consideration  to  the  Prince  of  Bevern." 

"  Do  not  trouble  yourself  about  Bevern.  The 
roads  are  not  yet  in  condition  to  travel.  You  will 
be  delayed  on  the  way.  Why  not  remain  here? 
Besides,  to-night  will  be  clear,  and  we  must  have 
another  night  at  the  telescope.'' 

Two  days  passed  before  St.  Arnaud  again  men- 
tioned it  to  the  King.  Both  nights  had  been  spent 
in  the  observatory. 

"  Sire,"  he  said,  "  I  cannot  any  longer  restrain 
the  impatience  of  Lieutenant  Hamilton.  He  is 
anxious  to  return  to  Vienna,  and,  as  you  know,  he 
is  very  rash  and  inexperienced;  I  cannot  answer 
for  what  he  may  say  or  do  if  he  does  not  return 
at  once." 

"  Send  him  to  ine." 

•Gavin,  for  the  first  time  walking  without  a  stick, 
went  into  the  King's  room.  It  was  evening,  and 
the  King  stood  before  a  large  fire. 

"  So  you  will  not  wait  until  the  surgeons  say 
your  leg  is  well  enough  for  you  to  travel  ?  " 

"  Sire,  my  leg  is  quite  well  enough  to  travel." 
204 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  A  few  days  more  of  rest  would  be  better  for 
it.  Your  friend,  Captain  St.  Arnaud,  is  not  so 
eager  to  leave  as  you  are.'' 

"  Ob,  your  Majesty,  if  you  talked  to  me  as  you 
do  to  St.  Arnaud,  I  would  be  willing  to  stay,  too. 
But  I  know  that  I  am  not  so  well  worth  talking 
to — I  am  not  accomplished,  and  do  not  know  the 
world  and  the  people  in  it  as  St.  Arnaud  does — 
and,  besides,  I  have  a  mother  at  Vienna  that  I 
had  not  seen  for  a  long  time  until  a  few  weeks 
ago.'' 

Frederick  could  not  forbear  smiling  at  Gavin's 
naivete. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said ;  "  wait  but  two  days  more 
in  patience ;  the  moon  is  at  the  full,  and  I  desire 
to  study  it  with  St.  Arnaud,  and  by  that  time  it 
will  be  possible  for  you  to  start." 

The  two  days  brought  very  great  improvement 
to  Gavin's  leg.  He  walked  about  the  streets, 
threw  away  his  stick,  packed  up  such  belongings 
as  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  announced  his 
readiness  to  start  at  any  moment.  All  of  the  sec- 
ond day  they  had  expected  a  message  from  the 
King  saying  horses  were  at  their  disposal  for  their 
travelling  chaise;  but  the  only  message  they  got 
from  him  was,  that,  when  supper  was  over,  he 
205 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

would  have  a  little  concert  in  his  own  apartments, 
to  which  St.  Arnand  and  Gavin  were  asked. 

"  We  must  go.  It  is  now  too  late  in  the  day 
to  take  the  road,"  said  St.  Arnand. 

Gavin,  choking  with  rage  and  disappointment, 
said  no  word.  St.  Arnand  hegan  to  make  a  careful 
toilet,  while  Gavin  sullenly  watched  him.  To 
St.  Arnaud's  laughing  remark,  that  royal  invita- 
tions must  always  be  accepted,  Gavin  only  re- 
plied : 

"  The  King  will  not  know  whether  I  am  there 
or  not." 

Seeing  he  was  in  a  dangerously  bad  humour,  St. 
Amaud  said  nothing  more  and  left  the  room.  As 
soon  as  he  was  gone  Gavin  sat  down  to  the  writing- 
table  and  dashed  off  a  letter  to  him. 

"You  have  just  left  the  room  for  the  King's 
apartment  as  I  write  this.  That  man  has  be- 
witched you.  You  will  not  leave  this  place  for  a 
week  yet.  I  cannot  stand  it  another  day.  I  am 
gone.  You  will  find  me  at  Vienna  when  you  ar- 
rive, which  I  believe  will  not  be  until  the  cam- 
paign actually  opens,  and  the  King  is  obliged  to 
send  you  away.     G.  H." 

Having  written  this  in  much  haste  and  fury, 
Gavin  put  together  his  money  and  papers,  includ- 
206 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ing  Frederick's  memorandum  concerning  their 
conversation  in  the  flooded  garden,  stowing  them 
in  his  breast  pocket,  and,  wrapping  his  cloak 
around  him,  walked  downstairs ;  and  watching  the 
moment  when  the  sentry's  back  was  turned, 
slipped  out  of  the  door  and  into  a  side  street. 
It  was  already  late  in  the  evening,  and  the  city 
was  poorly  lighted,  which  was  favourable  to  his 
designs.  He  walked  toward  the  more  thinly  set- 
tled quarters  of  the  town,  following  the  course  of 
the  river.  He  had  no  plan  in  his  mind,  and  was 
simply  yielding  to  a  wild  impulse.  Not  until  his 
eye  fell  upon  a  number  of  boats  moored  near  a 
boat-house  under  a  bridge  did  a  connected  idea  of 
the  best  mode  of  getting  out  of  Breslau  present 
itself  to  him.  He  stepped  into  a  boat,  picked  up 
the  oars,  and  pulled  rapidly  with  the  stream.  It 
was  quite  dark,  and  he  could  only  faintly  discern 
the  straggling  buildings  on  the  shore  and  an  oc- 
casional figure  flitting  past  in  the  gloom  of  even- 
ing. He  knew  nothing  of  the  town,  but  felt  sure 
that  at  some  point  the  river  was  watched  and 
defended.  In  a  little  while  he  came  to  that  point 
— a  bridge,  near  which  fortifications  loomed,  and 
on  which  the  steady  tramp  of  a  se^ntry's  feet  could 
be  heard. 

207 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

Watching  until  the  sentry  was  near  the  end  of 
the  bridge,  Gavin,  with  a  few  swift  strokes,  found 
himself  in  darkness  under  the  arches.  There  he 
waited  until  the  sentry  again  left  the  middle  of 
the  bridge,  and  some  minutes  more  of  hard  pulling 
carried  the  boat  a  considerable  distance  down  the 
stream.  Gavin,  pulling  away  with  the  greatest 
energy,  congratulated  himself  on  the  ease  with 
which  he  had  got  out  of  Breslau. 

"  As  soon  as  I  am  quite  clear  of  the  outposts," 
he  thought,  "  I  will  go  ashore,  and  make  straight 
for  the  nearest  military  post  where  they  do  not 
have  to  report  at  Vienna,  and  with  my  papers 
and  my  uniform  I  can  easily  get  a  safe-conduct 
through  the  Prussian  lines.  And  how  cheap  will 
St.  Arnaud  feel  when  I  arrive  at  Vienna  a  week 
ahead  of  him !  " 

Inspired  with  these  agreeable  ideas,  Gavin 
tugged  valiantly  at  his  oars,  and  being  heated  with 
the  exercise,  took  off  his  coat;  his  cloak  already 
lay  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

Having  pulled  for  nearly  two  hours,  he  found 
himself  far  in  the  open  country.  The  moon  was 
then  rising,  and  by  its  light  he  saw  a  smooth,  wide 
road,  leading  down  to  a  landing-place.  Concluding 
this  to  be  a  good  place  to  disembark,  he  rowed 
208 


OF  GAVIN   HAMILTON 

ashore,  put  on  his  coat  and  cloak,  and  took  the 
road. 

He  had  not  travelled  more  than  two  miles  when 
he  struck  the  highway  to  Breslau.  He  remem- 
bered various  landmarks  at  that  point,  and  dis- 
covered to  his  joy  that  he  was  quite  eight  miles 
from  the  city  gates. 

Trudging  along  cheerfully  in  the  moonlight, 
away  from  Breslau,  he  heard  behind  him  a  clatter 
of  hoofs.  Ten  or  twelve  troopers,  with  a  non-com- 
missioned officer  riding  at  their  head,  were  coming 
rapidly  down  the  road.  Involuntarily,  Gavin 
started  to  conceal  himself  in  the  hedge  by  the  road- 
side; but  the  troopers  were  too  quick  for  him. 
One  of  them  saw  him,  galloped  toward  him,  and, 
seizing  him  by  the  collar,  held  him  until  the  ser- 
geant rode  up. 

Gavin  made  no  effort  to  escape,  and,  in  truth, 
was  rather  glad  to  be  caught,  and  said  promptly  to 
the  sergeant,  a  coarse,  brutal-looking  fellow : 

"  I  am  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  of  the  First  Aus- 
trian Hussar  Eegiment.  I  have  been  to  Breslau 
with  a  flag  of  truce  with  a  companion,  Cap- 
tain St.  Arnaud,  of  General  Loudon's  corps; 
but  being  impatient  to  return  to  Vienna,  I 
quietly   walked   away   this   evening,    and   if   you 

209 
14 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

can  help  me  on  my  way,   I  shall  be  infinitely 
obliged." 

"  I  see  you  wear  the  uniform  of  an  Austrian 
officer,  but  what  have  you  got  to  prove  the  re- 
markable tale  you  are  telling  us  ?  "  replied  the  ser- 
geant gruffly. 

Gavin  put  his  hand  in  his  breast  pocket.  It 
was  quite  empty. 

"  My  papers !  '^  he  cried.  "  My  papers  and 
money — they  are  all  lost !  I  must  have  left  them 
in  the  boat." 

"  Come  along  with  us,"  said  the  sergeant-  "  I 
have  to  report  to  my  captain,  who  is  ten  miles  off. 
I  believe  you  are  a  spy,  and  woe  befall  you  if  my 
captain  thinks  so,  too ;  for  he  had  a  brother  strung 
up  as  a  spy  by  you  Austrians  last  year,  and  he  has 
sworn  that  an  Austrian  officer  shall  swing  for 
it."     Then,  to  a  trooper: 

"  Dismount,  and  get  a  horse  from  the  farm- 
house over  there  and  follow  us." 

The  trooper  dismounted,  and  Gavin,  obeying  a 
signal,  got  into  the  saddle,  and  in  another  minute 
he  was  trotting  briskly  down  the  road  with  the 
party. 

Gavin  had  scarcely  heard  the  word  spy,  he  was 
so  distressed  and  disheartened  by  the  loss  of  his 
SIO 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

money  and  papers.  The  sergeant,  wlio  rode  by 
his  side,  asked  him  no  questions,  and  in  per- 
fect silence  they  traversed  the  road  rapidly  by 
the  light  of  a  brilliant  moon. 

It  was  quite  midnight  before  they  halted  at  a 
little  village,  and,  riding  up  to  one  of  the  chief 
houses,  dismounted.  Gavin  was  at  once  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  the  commanding  officer.  Cap- 
tain Dreisel,  an  ill-looking  man,  whose  appearance 
was  not  improved  by  a  dirty  nightcap  over  a 
frowzy  wig. 

The  sergeant,  who  was  by  nature  a  lover  of  sen^ 
sations,  coolly  announced  that  he  had  captured 
a  spy.  Gavin,  who  had  paid  no  attention  to  the 
man,  received  a  sudden  and  terrible  shock  when 
Dreisel  said,  in  the  coolest  manner  in  the  world : 

"  You  must  disprove  what  this  man  says,  or  you 
will  be  hanged  as  a  spy  in  twenty-four  hours.'' 

"  But  I  am  in  my  uniform  as  sublieutenant  of 
General  Loudon's  hussars !  I  am  a  prisoner  of 
war." 

"  So  was  my  brother,"  replied  Dreisel,  coolly 
lighting  a  huge  pipe.  "  Nevertheless,  the  Aus- 
trians  hanged  him.  They  made  a  thousand  ex- 
planations afterward,  alleged  that  it  was  an  in- 
fernal mistake,  and  all  that,  and  punished  every- 
211 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

body  connected  with  the  affair;  but  it  could  not 
bring  my  brother  back.  And,  besides,  you  may 
have  stolen  that  uniform.  At  all  events,  I  have 
three  sublieutenants  here,  and  we  will  settle  the 
matter  for  you  after  breakfast  to-morrow  morn- 
ing, without  troubling  headquarters  with  it. 
Meanwhile,  I  am  going  to  bed.  Sergeant,  watch 
this  man ;  "  and  Dreisel  sauntered  into  the  next 
room. 

The  sergeant,  leaving  a  couple  of  soldiers  on 
guard,  went  out,  and  Gavin  sat  down  on  a  bench 
before  the  stove  to  rest,  for  he  did  not  think  he 
could  sleep.  He  was  very  hungry,  and  asking  the 
soldier  who  walked  up  and  down  outside  the  room 
door  if  anything  to  eat  was  to  be  had,  the  man 
pointed  to  a  cupboard.  Out  of  it  Gavin  got  some 
bread  and  cheese,  and  then,  lying  down  on  the 
bench,  proceeded  to  sum  up  the  situation,  with  the 
result  that  he  considered  his  chances  for  being 
hanged  within  the  next  twenty-four  hours  about 
as  certain  as  they  well  could  be.  But  although  this 
was  his  deliberate  and  reasonable  conclusion,  it 
by  no  means  followed  that  he  actually  believed  he 
was  going  to  be  hanged.  On  the  contrary,  it 
seemed  altogether  an  impossibility,  and  the  condi- 
tions surrounding  him  appeared  to  him  more  un- 
212 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

real  than  the  wildest  dream  he  ever  had  in  his 
life.  He  pinched  himself  to  find  whether  he  was 
awake.  The  last  time  he  had  eaten,  before  get- 
ting the  bread  and  cheese  out  of  the  cupboard, 
had  been  at  the  King's  headquarters  in  Breslau. 
He  noted  that  the  bread  and  cheese  had  no  flavour 
to,  it ;  he  only  knew  that  he  was  eating  by  the 
looks,  not  the  taste.  Yet,  it  must  be  something 
portentous  that  could  make  him  feel  so  strangely, 
and  then  he  recalled  all  the  circumstances,  which 
led  him  to  believe  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  a  vengeful  and  desperate  man,  and  something 
very  like  a  promise  had  been  made  him  that  he 
would  be  hanged  within  twenty-four  hours;  and 
going  over  and  over  the  whole  puzzling  business, 
he  suddenly  fell  asleep,  his  dark,  boyish  head  rest- 
ing on  his  arm  against  the  wall. 

At  daylight  he  was  awake  in  the  same  strange 
mental  state.  The  soldiers  who  guarded  him  were 
amazed  at  his  coolness,  but  it  was  really  the  in- 
sensibility of  a  person  too  dazed  and  astounded 
to  think  or  even  feel,  to  a  great  degree.  He  was 
given  a  good  breakfast,  which  he  ate  with  appe- 
tite; but  he  might  have  been  eating  shavings,  as 
far  as  his  palate  went.  It  annoyed  him  the  way 
the  soldiers  and  the  guard  looked  at  him.  There 
>    .  213 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

was  something  pitying  in  their  glance,  as  if  they 
expected  him  to  be  hanged — an  idea  so  ridiculous 
to  Gavin  that  he  could  have  laughed  aloud  at  it. 
Yet  it  did  not  seem  ridiculous  to  them,  and  that 
was  both  strange  and  disagreeable.  Altogether,  it 
was  the  most  unpleasant  morning  of  his  life.  He 
was  left  to  himself  all  the  forenoon,  but  soon  after 
the  captain's  midday  dinner  he  was  summoned 
to  appear  in  another  room.  Seated  at  the  head  of 
the  table  was  Captain  Dreisel.  One  look  at  his 
determined  and  savage  countenance  showed  Gavin 
that  he  could  not  appear  before  a  worse  judge. 
Chance  had  thrown  a  victim  in  this  man's  way — 
a  man  looking  for  a  victim.    It  was  enough. 

Three  sublieutenants  were  seated  also  at  the 
table,  to  give  it  something  the  appearance  of  a 
court  martial.  They  were  all  young  and  beardless 
fellows,  and  what  impressed  Gavin  as  much  as 
anything  else  was  the  distress  and  agitation  visible 
upon  the  countenances  of  these  young  subalterns. 
They  looked  anxiously  at  one  another,  and  it  was 
plain  that  the  work  before  them  was  not  to  their 
liking. 

Gavin,  after  saluting,  was  given  a  chair  and 
seated  himself.  IS'ever  in  his  life  had  his  soul  been 
in  such  a  tumult  as  at  that  moment ;  yet  never  had 
214 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

he  been  outwardly  more  calm  or  more  entirely  in 
possession  of  his  senses,  which  presently  returned 
to  him. 

Dreisel  began  the  examination,  and  Gavin  told 
clearly  and  frankly  all  that  had  befallen  him. 
But,  to  his  consternation,  he  saw  at  every  word 
that  the  three  younger  officers  were  losing  confi- 
dence in  him.  Great  as  was  their  sympathy  for 
him,  his  adventures,  especially  his  claim  of  having 
lived  at  the  King's  headquarters  for  three  weeks, 
were  too  unusual  to  be'  accepted  without  proof. 
And  of  proof  he  had  not  a  scintilla. 

The  examination  was  done  almost  entirely  by 
Dreisel,  whose  artfully  contrived  questions  were 
admirably  adapted  to  put  Gavin  in  the  worst 
possible  light.  He  felt,  himself,  the  improbable 
nature  of  some  of  his  replies,  which,  though 
strictly  truthful,  yet  had  an  appearance  of  ex- 
travagance. As  he  was  plied  thick  and  fast,  an- 
swering each  question  eagerly,  it  was  plain  that 
he  was  not  making  a  good  impression  upon  the 
three  young  officers,  who,  he  saw,  hated  and  dreaded 
the  outcome.  He  saw  glances  of  dismay  ex- 
changed among  them  at  some  of  his  answers,  and 
one  of  these  young  officers,  whose  countenance 
was  particularly  mild,  grew  paler  and  paler, 
216 


THE   LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

while  great  drops  stood  out  on  his  forehead.  At 
last,  after  an  hour  of  torture,  Dreisel  said  to 
him: 

"  And  you  expect  us  to  believe  that  you  are 
not  a  spy  ?  " 

At  the  word  spy  Gavin  involuntarily  started. 
It  was  the  first  time  the  word  had  been  uttered 
in  the  presence  of  the  other  officers.  ISTevertheless, 
he  responded  promptly : 

"  I  cannot  be  held  as  a  spy  wearing  this  uni- 
form.'' 

"  True,  according  to  the  rules  of  war  among 
civilized  nations.  But  my  brother  was  hanged 
as  a  spy  wearing  the  Prussian  uniform." 

The  young  officer,  who  had  shown  such  unmis- 
takable marks  of  distress,  interposed  at  this: 

"  But  the  whole  affair  was  disclaimed,  sir,  by 
the  Austrian  military  authorities." 

"  Well,  so  may  all  our  proceedings  to-day  be 
disclaimed  by  the  Prussian  military  authorities." 

Dreisel  said  this  with  a  diabolical  grin. 

^^  But  I  am  zealous  in  the  King's  cause ;  and 
if  I  hang  a  man  because  I  think  him  a  spy,  and, 
moreover,  has  designs  upon  the  King's  life — for 
that  is  the  meaning  of  his  skulking  about  the 
King's  .headquarters  for  three  weeks — if  he  ever 
216 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

was  there — it  ought  not  to  go  very  hard  with  me. 
Let  me  ask  each  and  all  of  you  this,  Do  you  believe 
all  the  prisoner  has  told  us  ?  " 

A  dead  silence  greeted  this.  Dreisel  called  to 
the  sergeant  outside  the  door,  and  said  to  him 
when  he  came  in : 

"  Take  charge  of  the  prisoner  until  I  send  for 
him.'' 

Gavin  rose  without  a  word.  Had  words  availed 
him,  he  would  have  poured  them  forth;  but  he 
saw  that  they  were  worse  than  useless.  As  he 
passed  out,  the  young  officer  who  had  shown  such 
sympathy  for  him  half  rose  from  his  chair,  and 
looking  at  Gavin  with  eyes  of  misery,  seemed 
about  to  hold  out  his  hand. 

"  You  had  better  not,  my  friend,"  said  Gavin, 
unable  to  keep  silence  any  longer.  "  Perhaps  you 
may  be  shot  for  shaking  hands  with  a  prisoner 
of  war  about  to  be  hanged.'' 

In  the  corridor  leading  to  the  room  to  which 
he  was  conveyed  there  was  a  window  looking 
straight  into  the  window  of  the  court-martial 
room.  The  sentry  who  passed  the  door  near 
which  Gavin  sat  also  passed  this  window  in  his 
walk  up  and  down  the  corridor.  Something  of 
sympathy  in  the  man's  eye  as  he  glanced  in  the 
217 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

room  where  Gavin  sat,  with  the  sergeant  at  his 
side,  caused  Gavin  to  say; 

"  My  friend,  I,  too,  once  carried  a  musket  be- 
fore I  wore  a  sword ;  therefore,  I  beg  of  you,  as  a 
comrade,  to  tell  me  what  Captain  Dreisel  and  his 
unhappy  young  officers  are  doing  in  that  room." 

"  Lieutenant  von  Bulow,  the  soft-hearted  one, 
is  standing  up  speaking  to  Captain  Dreisel,"  he 
said  in  a  low  voice. 

The  man  walked  away,  and,  passing  the  window, 
returned  in  five  minutes  to  the  open  door.  He 
again  whispered: 

"  Lieutenant  Eeber  is  now  talking  very  ear- 
nestly, and  seems  not  afraid  of  the  captain." 

The  third  time  he  passed  the  door  the  sentry's 
face  was  ashy  pale. 

"  Captain  Dreisel  is  speaking  now,  and  Lieuten- 
ant von  Bulow  has  covered  his  face  and  is  crying." 

"Is  he  ?  "  was  Gavin's  only  remark.  "  Good 
Yon  Bulow.  I  suppose  I  am  to  be  hanged.  Well, 
I  will  lie  down  on  this  bench  and  think  over 
things  a  little." 

He  lay  out  at  full  length  on  the  bench,  and 

thoughts  of  all  sorts  chased  one  another  through  his 

mind.     He   had    the   tenderest   thoughts    of   his 

mother  and  of  St.  Arnaud  and  Madame  Ziska 

218 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

and  her  family,  and  the  most  acute  pity  for  him- 
self. "  No  wonder  Von  Bulow  weeps  at  the 
thought  of  an  innocent  young  man  being  hanged. 
I  would  weep  for  Von  Bulow  under  the  same  cir- 
cumstances.'' But  he  could  not  perceive,  much  to 
his  surprise,  any  sensation  of  fear  or  weakness. 
He  felt  his  pulse — it  was  beating  with  perfect 
steadiness — he  took  up  a  glass  of  water  and  drank 
it  without  the  tremor  of  a  finger,  and  lying  calmly 
down  again,  closed  his  eyes.  And  the  soldiers 
watching  him  saw  a  strange  thing — his  breathing 
grew  slower,  his  limbs  relaxed,  and  he  was  sleep- 
ing as  peacefully  as  an  infant.  Gavin  himself  fell 
into  the  most  delicious  dream — he  was  walking 
with  his  mother  in  the  gardens  at  Schoenbrunn; 
it  was  a  lovely  spring  morning,  and  he  carried  his 
hat  in  his  hand  to  feel  the  soft,  sweet  breeze,  and 
his  mother  was  saying  to  him : 

"  Now,  dear  Gavin,  we  shall  be  so  happy  to- 
gether; there  will  be  no  more  separations  for  us." 

He  was  roused  from  this  by  a  vigorous  shaking, 
and  St.  Arnaud's  voice  saying : 

"  Wake  up !     You  don't  seem  to  mind  the  no- 
tion of  being  hanged;  but  for  my  part,  I  could 
give  you  ten  good  beatings  for  the  misery  and  anx- 
iety your  folly  has  cost  me." 
219 


CHAPTER  X 

Gavii^  sat  up,  nibbed  his  eyes,  remained  silent 
for  some  minutes,  while  St.  Arnaud  berated  him, 
winding  up  with : 

"  Two  hours  later,  and  you  would  have  been 
hanged." 

"  I  thought  so,  too,"  replied  Gavin.  "  Dreisel, 
the  captain,  was  bent  on  it.  But  how  came  you 
here?" 

"  By  following  you,  of  course.  I  left  the  con- 
cert early,  and  went  to  our  quarters,  to  find  you 
gone  and  your  letter  on  the  table.  I  gave  the 
alarm  immediately,  not  knowing  what  trouble  you 
might  get  into.  I  suspected  at  once  that  you  would 
try  the  river,  as  there  was  less  chance  of  your 
being  stopped,  and  we — Captain  Bohlen  and  I — 
were  after  you  in  a  boat  within  an  hour  after  you 
took  to  the  water.  We  found  the  boat  and  your 
papers  in  it — I  have  the  papers  with  me — and  had 
no  difficulty  in  tracking  you  to  the  place  where  you 
were  captured.  There  we  had  some  delay.  Sev- 
220 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

eral  small  bodies  of  men  were  moving  about  that 
night,  and  we  lost  some  hours  in  finding  which 
one  had  bagged  you.  As  soon  as  we  discovered 
that  your  friend,  Captain  Dreisel,  was  the  man, 
we  lost  not  a  moment,  for  he  has  openly  said  he 
means  to  hang  an  Austrian  officer.  They  were  still 
debating  when  we  arrived;  the  young  sublieuten- 
ants showed  more  courage  than  Dreisel  counted  on, 
and  threatened  to  refuse  to  obey  orders  if  you  were 
sentenced  to  be  hanged.  You  should  have  seen 
them  when  Bohlen  and  I  walked  in  on  them. 
Dreisel  was  perfectly  cool  and  collected;  he  saw 
that  he  was  balked,  and  probably  ruined  for  life, 
as  Bohlen  will  lay  the  whole  matter  before  the 
King.  The  three  lieutenants  nearly  had  hysterics 
from  joy.  Bohlen  means  to  ask  promotion  for 
them,  since  they  saved  the  Prussian  army  the 
disgrace  of  hanging  an  Austrian  officer.  When 
we  asked  for  you,  behold,  you  were  asleep !  What 
a  fellow  you  are !  " 

Gavin  sprang  up,  and  seizing  St.  Arnaud 
around  the  neck,  they  kissed  and  embraced. 

At  that  moment  Gavin  glanced  up.     Bohlen, 

Yon  Bulow,  and  the  other  two  lieutenants  were 

entering  the  room.     They  crowded  around  him 

and  wrung  his  hand,  and  Yon  Bulow,  fairly  burst- 

221 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

ing  into  tears,  embraced  him.  They  all  laughed 
at  Von  Bulow ;  but  every  man  of  them  felt  shaken 
by  the  crisis  each  had  passed  through.  Turning 
to  the  soldiers,  especially  the  sentry  and  the  ser- 
geant, Gavin  emptied  his  pockets,  and  then  with 
one  accord  all  the  officers  Avent  out  of  the  house 
that  still  sheltered  Dreisel. 

"  I  breathe  better/'  cried  Von  Bulow,  snuffing 
the  chill,  clear  air,  "  out  of  the  quarters  of  that 
wretch." 

"  Think  what  we  have  endured  since  this  morn- 
ing,'' added  his  brother  lieutenant.  "  We  would 
have  died  where  we  sat  rather  than  have  acqui- 
esced in  murder;  but  we  did  not  know  whether 
our  men  would  obey  us  or  Dreisel." 

"  Never  mind,  gentlemen,"  quietly  remarked 
Bohlen,  "  wait  until  I  make  my  report  to  his 
Majesty.  Dreisel  then  will  rue  the  day  he  was 
born." 

It  was  late  in  the  cold  March  afternoon,  and 
the  village  inn  looked  very  inviting.  In  it  they 
went,  and  spent  a  long  evening  together.  Great 
was  the  jollity  of  all  of  them,  except  Gavin,  in 
whom  all  saw  the  signs  of  a  reaction.  He  sat  silent 
for  the  most  part,  and  his  eyes,  when  they  met 
those  of  the  others,  were  filled  with  tears  of  grat- 
222 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

itude.  When  they  separated  for  the  night,  St. 
Arfiaud  demanded  but  one  room  for  himself  and 
Gavin.  Alone  together,  Gavin  broke  down  ut- 
terly. St.  Arnaud  spent  the  night  soothing  and 
cheering  him.  And  this  was  the  man  who  had 
gone  calmly  to  sleep  while  the  question  of  hanging 
him  was  being  debated ! 

Next  morning,  St.  Arnaud  announced  that  they 
would  return  to  Breslau,  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
pressing their  thanks  to  the  King  and  saying  fare- 
well. As  for  the  report  of  the  affair,  Bohlen  might 
be  trusted  to  attend  faithfully  to  that.  Gavin 
submitted  to  the  delay  without  a  word.  They 
reached  Breslau  in  the  afternoon,  went  straight 
to  their  old  quarters,  and  at  eight  o'clock — the 
King's  usual  hour  for  seeing  them — they  were 
sent  for.  Frederick  received  them  with  more  than 
his  usual  grace ;  but  neither  St.  Arnaud  nor  Gavin 
justly  appreciated  until  then  the  true  extent  to 
which  this  man  should  be  feared.  He  said  but 
little  of  Dreisel;  but  the  tones  of  his  ringing 
voice  and  the  sombre  fire  that  shone  in  his 
steel-blue  eyes  would  have  made  a  braver  man 
than  Dreisel  tremble.  Frederick  did  not  long 
dwell  on  the  subject,  which  was  necessarily  a  pain- 
ful and  embarrassing  one  for  him,  and  soon  turned 
223 


THE  LIVELY  ADVE;]S[TUKES 

the  conversation  into  lighter  and  more  playful 
channels. 

"  Bohlen  tells  me  you  wish  to  start  very  early 
to-morrow  morning/'  he  said  to  St.  Arnaud.  ^'  I 
can  well  believe  that  this  young  gentleman  is  a 
vast  responsibility.  I  wish  to  express  to  you  the 
pleasure  I  have  had  in  the  company  of  both,  but 
especially  of  Captain  St.  Arnaud.  I  fear  that 
history  will  say  of  me  that  I  took  no  pleasure  in 
anything  but  beating  my  enemy  in  the  field.  How 
great  a  mistake !  I  was  formed  for  the  pursuits 
of  a  peaceful  but  not  inactive  life.  The  reorgani- 
zation of  my  country,  the  improvement  of  my  peo- 
ple, a  steady  progress  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  a 
little  recreation  in  the  way  of  poetry  and  music, 
and  the  society  of  accomplished  men — these  would 
constitute  my  happiness.  I  have  known  but  little 
of  it.  Instead  I  spend  my  summers  in  the  sad- 
dle and  my  winters  in  planning  for  the  summer 
campaign.  Did  but  the  Empress  Queen  command 
her  armies  in  the  field,  as  I  do,  she  would  make 
peace  with  me  forever." 

St.  Arnaud,  not  caring  to  discuss  the  only  terms 
on  which  Frederick  would  make  peace,  contented 
himself  with  replying: 

"  The  world,  your  Majesty,  is  loath  to  credit 
224 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

a  man  with  more  than  one  kind  of  excellence,  and 
because  you  are  a  master  of  the  art  of  war,  it  will 
always  grudgingly  admit  what  you  have  done  or 
might  do  in  the  arts  of  peace.  I  can,  sire,  tell  you 
truly,  without  the  smallest  flattery,  that  the  hours 
I  have  spent  with  your  Majesty  are  among  the 
most  valuable  of  my  life;  for  I  never  failed  to 
learn  something  from  you  that  I  did  not  know 
before." 

Frederick  smiled  graciously;  he  knew  St.  Ar- 
naud  to  be  a  sincere  man,  and  that  his  phrases, 
although  courtier-like,  were  from  an  honest  heart. 
And  when,  as  they  shook  hands  cordially,  St.  Ar- 
naud  said: 

"  And  have  I  no  message  for  the  Prince  of 
Bevern?" 

"  None,  but  that  I  have  received  his  letter,  and 
I  am  under  great  obligations  to  him  for  making 
me  acquainted  with  so  agreeable  a  man  as  your- 
self." 

Gavin  then  advancing,  Frederick  said : 

"  Farewell.  I  have  not  had  much  speech  with 
you,  but  I  perceive  you  to  be  no  ordinary  man." 
And  Gavin,  meaning  to  make  a  very  conventional 
and  correct  reply,  said  earnestly : 

^^  Your  Majesty,  I  have  been  in  your  company 

225 
15 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

now  several  times,  and  I  never  was  ennuyeed  for 
one  single  moment  when  your  Majesty  was  speak- 
ing 1" 

"  Take  care  of  him,"  cried  the  King  to  St.  Ar- 
naud,  both  of  them  laughing.  "  You  have  an 
original  there,  and  he  may  either  be  exiled  or  be- 
come Prime  Minister." 

The  return  journey  to  Vienna  was  made  rapid- 
ly, and  on  a  pleasant  spring  night  their  travelling 
chaise  rattled  up  to  the  house  in  the  Teinfelt- 
strasse.  They  were  received  with  open  arms  by 
Lady  Hamilton  and  Madame  Ziska  and  her  fam- 
ily. St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  had  agreed  to  say 
nothing  for  the  present  about  Gavin's  little  ad- 
venture with  Captain  Dreisel,  and  Lady  Hamil- 
ton thought  their  journey  had  been  one  of  un- 
mixed pleasure,  except  for  the  trifling  accident  to 
Gavin's  leg. 

iJText  morning  they  went  to  the  palace,  and  were 
summoned  before  the  Empress  Queen  and  the 
Emperor.  St.  Arnaud  gave  an  account  of  their 
mission,  together  with  the  ill  success  of  it  for  the 
poor  Prince  of  Bevern.  Marie  Theresa  listened 
with  a  scornful  smile.  Frederick  of  Prussia  was 
not  only  to  her  the  enemy  of  her  country,  but  an 
object  of  the  deepest  personal  dislike,  and  noth- 
226 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ing  good,  in  her  opinion,  could  be  expected  of 
him. 

"  The  conduct  of  the  King  of  Prussia  in  this 
affair  does  not  surprise  me  in  the  least,"  she  said ; 
"  and  so  much  was  it  expected  by  me,  that,  with 
the  Emperor's  consent,  I  had  already  determined 
upon  my  course  toward  the  Prince  of  Bevern.  He 
shall  he  released  at  once  and  allowed  to  return  to 
his  country,  with  no  condition  beyond  that  of  not 
serving  against  us  during  the  present  war.  If  the 
King  of  Prussia  has  no  merciful  impulses  toward 
his  officers,  who,  though  brave,  may  meet  with 
misfortunes,  I  and  the  Emperor  feel  much  sym- 
pathy for  them ;  and  we  will  do  for  the  Prince  of 
Bevern  what  his  own  sovereign  refuses  to  do. 
Have  you  anything  else  of  moment  to  tell  me  ? " 

"  [Nothing,  madam,  except  an  adventure  of 
Lieutenant  Hamilton's,  which  may  interest  you." 
And  St.  Arnaud,  with  inimitable  archness,  told 
the  story  of  Gavin's  bringing  Frederick  through 
the  flooded  garden  on  his  back,  and  the  conversa- 
tion that  ensued.  ^ 

The  Empress  Queen  and  the  Emperor  laughed 
so  much  that  Gavin,  who  was  very  red  and  em- 
barrassed in  the  beginning,  began  to  feel  seriously 
disconcerted.  He  recovered  his  good  humour,  how- 
227 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

ever,  when  the  Empress  Queen  desired  to  see 
Frederick's  memorandum,  and  after  reading  it 
cried : 

"  I  cannot  do  less  than  the  King  of  Prussia  ex' 
pects.  You  shall  have  two  steps  in  promotion  in- 
stead of  one !  "  At  which  Gavin  only  blushed  the 
more  while  stammering  out  his  thanks. 

When,  a  few  moments  after,  St.  Arnaud  and 
Gavin  left  the  Empress  Queen's  closet,  St.  Arnaud 
whispered : 

"  The  release  of  poor  Bevern  is  caused  by  two 
motives — one,  to  benefit  a  brave  but  unfortunate 
man ;  the  other,  to  chagrin  the  King  of  Prussia." 

The  next  succeeding  weeks  were  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  those  which  had  preceded  the  Breslau 
expedition.  The  spring  campaign  was  about  to 
open,  and  court  and  people  were  absorbed  in 
preparations  for  trying  the  fortunes  of  war  once 
more  with  Frederick.  St.  Arnaud  was  busy  all 
day  and  all  night  with  the  affairs  of  his  corps. 
It  had  been  in  cantonments  on  the  outskirts  of 
Vienna  during  the  winter,  and  was  to  march  the 
middle  of  April.  Gavin's  duties  as  a  subaltern 
compelled  him  to  take  up  his  quarters  with  his  regi- 
ment, and  he  occupied  alone  the tentthat  waste  shel- 
ter St.  Arnaud  and  himself  on  the  march.  He  applied 
228 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

himself  more  seriously  to  the  study  of  military 
affairs  from  the  point  of  an  officer,  and  in  this,  as 
in  everything  he  had  tried  to  study  in  his  life,  he 
had  much  assistance  from  his  mother.  She  got 
him  books  in  English  and  French,  and  helped 
him  in  his  fluent  but  somewhat  incorrect  German. 
'Nor  were  his  creature  comforts  forgotten,  although 
Lady  Hamilton  never  ceased  to  impress  upon  him 
that  the  equipment  of  his  mind  must  always  come 
before  the  considerations  for  his  body.  Never- 
theless, he  was  well  supplied  with  many  little  com- 
forts for  the  campaign  which  had  been  unknown 
to  him  before. 

Every  day  he  came  to  the  Teinfeltstrasse  house 
to  visit  his  mother,  if  only  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
to  see  his  cherished  friends,  Madame  Ziska  and  her 
family.  It  was  arranged  that  Lady  Hamilton 
should  remain  with  her  excellent  friends  until 
Gavin  could  return  to  Vienna — if  ever  he  returned. 
Gavin,  however,  had  perfect  confidence  in  his  own 
return,  for  his  nature  was  sanguine  to  the  last  de- 
gree, and  it  was  always  as  surprising  as  it  was  un- 
pleasant for  things  to  go  wrong  with  him.  Having 
escaped  hanging  by  a  very  narrow  margin  only 
gave  him  increased  confidence  in  the  future — a 
thing  very  conducive  to  both  happiness  and  success. 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

He  did  not  again  see  his  father,  and  really  did 
not  know  whether  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  was  still  in 
Vienna  or  not.  Gavin's  duties  kept  him  so  closely 
with  his  troop,  that  he  no  longer  had  time  to  fre- 
quent palaces  or  drawing-rooms,  and  it  was  not  al- 
ways easy  for  him  to  see  his  mother  once  a  day. 
St.  Arnaud  was  equally  busy,  and  their  thoughts 
and  their  talk  were  all  about  the  coming  campaign. 
They  congratulated  themselves  daily  upon  being 
under  General  Loudon,  the  most  adventurous  of 
men,  and  the  making  the  campaign  with  each  other 
was  peculiarly  gratifying  to  both. 

Daily  were  they  expecting  orders  to  march. 
Marshal  Daun  had  begun  the  concentration  of  his 
army  at  Koniggratz  the  middle  of  March,  and  the 
light  troops  under  General  Loudon  were  expected 
to  be  on  the  move  to  join  him  by  the  middle  of 
April.  It  was  known  that  General  Loudon  was 
to  come  to  Vienna  to  receive  the  Military  Order 
of  Maria  Theresa — the  highest  military  order  in 
the  Empire,  and  one  justly  earned  by  General 
Loudon — and  after  spending  one  day  there,  he 
was  to  accompany  the  very  last  brigade  to  Leuto- 
mischl,  about  fifty  miles  from  Olmutz.  Each  day 
detachments  were  dispatched,  but  St.  Arnaud's  and 
Gavin's  regiments  were  not  among  them.  It  be- 
230 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

gan  to  be  whispered  abroad  that  their  regiment 
would  have  the  honour  of  escorting  the  major-gen- 
eral himself. 

One  day,  as  Gavin  was  toiling  over  a  muddy 
road,  at  the  head  of  his  troop  of  hussars,  which 
had  been  going  through  the  sword  exercise,  he 
met  St.  Arnaud  galloping  along  alone.  He  rode 
up  to  Gavin,  and  called  out  loud  enough  for  the 
men  to  hear : 

"  By  the  day  after  to-morrow  we  shall  be  on  the 
march.  Not  half  a  mile  behind  me  rides  General 
Loudon,  and  when  he  comes  to  Vienna  it  is  for 
as  short  a  time  as  he  can  stay;  and  then  he  goes 
oif  like  a  shot,  hunting  for  Prussians." 

The  men  exchanged  glances  of  pleasure,  and 
Gavin,  bringing  the  detachment  down  to  a  slow 
trot,  and  talking  with  St.  Arnaud,  presently  heard 
the  thunder  of  hoofs  behind  them.  He  looked 
back,  and  there,  coming  along  the  highroad,  still 
muddy  from  the  spring  rains,  was  a  small  cavalry 
escort,  and  in  front  rode  a  tall,  spare,  red-haired 
man,  whom  he  surmised  to  be  the  celebrated  Gen- 
eral Loudon. 

Gavin,  drawing  his  men  up  on  the  side  of  the 
road,  placed  himself  slightly  in  advance  of  them, 
with  St.  Arnaud.  As  General  Loudon  came  up, 
231 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

he  stopped  and  courteously  saluted  both  officers  and 
men,  the  latter  raising  a  hearty  cheer  as  he  ap- 
proached. St.  Arnaud  then  introduced  Gavin, 
pronouncing  his  name  much  better  than  Gavin 
could. 

"  Hamilton !  "  said  General  Loudon.  "  That  is 
a  Scotch  and  also  an  English  name.  How  comes 
Lieutenant  Hamilton  in  my  command  ? " 

"  It  is  a  long  story,  sir,"  responded  Gavin ; 
"  but,  like  yourself,  although  I  am  of  Scotch  and 
English  blood,  I  am  a  true  soldier,  if  not  a  born 
subject,  of  the  Empress  Queen." 

General  Loudon  then  made  a  few  remarks ;  but 
his  manner,  though  polite,  was  awkward,  and  he 
had  by  no  means  the  graceful  self-possession  of 
St.  Arnaud  or  the  pleasant  assurance  of  Gavin 
Hamilton. 

When  he  had  ridden  on  St.  Arnaud  said  to 
Gavin : 

"  Do  you  see  how  cold,  how  awkward,  how  slow 
he  is?  That  man  under  fire  becomes  animated, 
quicker  than  lightning,  even  graceful.  It  has  been 
said  that  he  grows  actually  handsome  in  the  light 
of  battle." 

"  He  looks  like  a  Calvinist  minister  with  dys- 
pepsia," was  Gavin's  comment;  nevertheless,  he 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

knew  very  well  General  Loudon's  reputation  as 
the  most  dashing  leader  of  light  troops  in  Europe. 

As  soon  as  General  Loudon's  arrival  was  known 
in  Vienna,  it  was  understood  that  the  opening  of 
the  campaign  was  at  hand,  and  there  was  the  stir 
and  excitement  of  the  actual  beginning  of  warlike 
events.  The  announcement  was  made  that  the  Em- 
press Queen  would  invest  him  with  her  great  mil- 
itary order  on  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  and  the 
morning  after,  at  sunrise,  he  would  be  on  the  march 
for  Leutomischl,  with  the  last  of  the  hussar  regi- 
ments. 

St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  were  in  a  fever  of 
preparation  all  that  day  and  the  next ;  but  a  duty, 
not  to  be  omitted,  was  their  presence  at  the  palace 
in  the  evening  to  see  the  bestowal  of  this  splendid 
decoration  on  their  commander.  The  Empress 
Queen,  consonant  with  her  lofty  and  unquenchable 
spirit,  had  commanded  a  splendid  levee  on  the 
occasion,  that  she  might  show  to  all  the  world  the 
courage  and  high  hopes  with  which  she  renewed 
the  struggle. 

Never  had  Gavin  more  admired  his  mother's 
courage  than  during  those  last  two  days.  Smiling, 
hopeful,  encouraging,  she  bore  the  terrible  heart- 
ache of  parting,  but  she  did  not  wholly  hide  it,  even 
233 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

from  Gavin.  For  himself,  he  went  to  war  as  he 
went  to  a  festival.  He  was  distressed  at  the 
thought  of  his  mother,  but  he  was  too  wholly  confi- 
dent of  returning  to  her  to  seriously  grieve. 

"  Do  this  for  me,  mother — ^go  with  me  to  the 
palace  to-night;  let  me  have  the  satisfaction  of 
showing  you  to  all  those  people,  and,  besides,  it 
will  divert  you  and  make  you  forget  that  I  am 
leaving  to-morrow." 

"  Very  likely,'^  murmured  Lady  Hamilton. 

"  And  as  for  meeting  my  father,  I  think  he  must 
have  left  Vienna.  ISTo  one  has  seen  him  for  a 
month." 

"  Then  I  will  go ;  perhaps  the  being  with  you 
a  few  hours  longer  may  be  an  inducement,"  replied 
his  mother  in  a  gayer  tone. 

"  It  is  every  one's  duty,  mother,  to  look  gay  to- 
night; for  if  we  meet  the  Prussians  with  down- 
cast hearts,  we  are  already  half  beaten." 

"  Quite  true.  And  as  I  am  the  daughter  of  a 
soldier,  and  was  the  sister  of  soldiers,  as  well  as 
the  mother  of  a  soldier,  I  shall  be  as  brave  as  any. 
Eut  let  me  tell  you,  Gavin,  the  bravest  at  the  levee 
to-night  will  not  be  the  men  wearing  their  swords, 
but  the  women  who  with  anxious  hearts  and  trem- 
bling souls  give  their  best  beloved  to  their  country." 
234 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Madame  Ziska*and  Kalenga  were  to  sit  up  until 
the  return  of  the  party  from  the  palace,  and  they 
were  to  have  a  farewell  supper  together,  for  St. 
Arnaud  and  Gavin  must  be  with  their  troops  be- 
fore daybreak. 

Madame  Ziska  and  little  Freda  assisted  Lady 
Hamilton  with  her  toilet — the  same  severely  sim- 
ple black  satin  gown  she  had  worn  before.  The 
two  women  understood  and  mutually  comforted 
each  other,  and  by  tacit  agreement  there  was  no 
mention  of  the  impending  parting  until  just  as 
Lady  Hamilton  was  ready,  and  stood  a  picture  of 
mature  and  womanly  grace,  Madame  Ziska  began 
to  weep. 

"  I  am  a  fool,'^  she  cried.  "  They  will  come 
back — I  know  they  will  come  back — ^but  it  is  hard 
to  let  them  go,  for  I,  too,  love  them  dearly." 

At  this  Freda  suddenly  burst  into  loud  weeping. 
The  mother  remained  dry-eyed. 

"  To-morrow,''  she  said,  "  there  will  be  time 
enough  for  tears.  To-night  I  will  not  show,  so 
much  as  by  the  quiver  of  an  eyelash,  the  pain  and 
fear  that  are  gnawing  at  me.'' 

At  that  moment  they  heard  Gavin  and  St.  Ar- 
naud in  the  next  room.  Madame  Ziska  quickly 
dried  her  eyes,  gently  pushed  the  weeping  Freda 
235 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

out  of  sight  and  hearing  in  the  corridor,  and  ap- 
peared smiling  calmly  before  Gavin  and  St.  Ar- 
naud. 

"  'Now,  this  is  what  I  wish  to  see,"  cried  Gavin 
— "  a  pleasant  parting,  without  any  tears  or  fears. 
There  is  no  doubt  about  it,  we  go  to  beat  the  Prus- 
sians; we  will  return  with  increased  rank  and 
decorations,  and  we  will  be  saying  among  our- 
selves, ^  How  sensible  it  was  to  part  gayly  as  we 
did!'" 

"  Quite  true,"  said  his  mother,  smiling,  and  tak- 
ing St.  Arnaud's  arm  to  lead  her  to  the  coach,  while 
Gavin  lingered  to  say  a  gay  farewell  to  Madame 
Ziska,  and  to  call  Freda,  who  remained  weeping 
and  invisible  on  the  landing  of  the  back  stairs. 

In  a  little  while  they  were  at  the  palace,  where 
a  great  crowd  of  persons,  military  and  civil,  had 
assembled  to  do  honour  to  the  army,  through  Gen- 
eral Loudon.  Kaunitz  was  there,  superbly  dressed 
as  usual,  with  his  eagle  eye  fixed  on  the  French 
ambassador,  to  make  sure  that  he  noted  the  loyalty 
and  enthusiasm  of  all  present.  The  young  arch- 
dukes and  archduchesses,  from  the  Crown  Prince, 
a  handsome  young  man  of  seventeen,  standing  be- 
hind his  mother's  chair,  down  to  the  pretty  little 
princesses,  with  their  governesses,  grouped  in  a 
236 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

gallery  overlooking  the  splendid  scene,  were  all 
present. 

St.  Arnand  and  Gavin  with  Lady  Hamilton  se- 
cured a  good  place  of  observation  in  the  grand 
salon,  where  the  ceremony  of  bestowing  the  order 
was  to  take  place.  The  Empress  Queen  and  the 
Emperor  sat  in  gilded  arm-chairs  upon  the  same 
dais  that  they  had  occupied  at  the  first  royal  levee 
Gavin  had  attended.  The  Empress  Queen  looked 
even  more  superb  than  Gavin  had  yet  seen  her. 
Eearful  as  had  been  the  blows  that  had  befallen 
her  armies,  she  was  ready  again,  with  lion-like 
courage,  to  meet  her  ancient  enemy.  Every  heart 
in  Austria  and  Hungary  might  grow  faint,  but 
Maria  Theresa  knew  not  what  fear  meant.  She 
was  talking  with  great  animation  to  those  around 
her,  with  her  fine,  expressive  eyes  flashing,  and 
her  full,  red  lips  wreathed  in  smiles.  When  dan- 
ger was  at  hand,  then  was  she  most  full  of  vivid 
life.  The  Emperor  at  her  side  showed  equal  cheer- 
fulness. Occasionally,  the  Empress  Queen  would 
turn  to  him  and  make  a  smiling  remark,  to  which 
he  would  respond  in  kind.  At  length,  a  hush  fell 
upon  the  company;  General  Loudon  had  entered 
the  hall.  He  was  entirely  unaccompanied,  and 
dressed  in  a  very  splendid  uniform.  Immediately 
237 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

way  was  made  for  him,  and  he  proceeded  up  the 
aisle  thus  formed  to  the  da'is.  At  the  sight  of  his 
countenance  an  involuntary  smile  went  around. 
His  naturally  rugged  features  looked  still  more 
homely  under  the  embarrassment  of  so  much 
notice.  He  ambled  along  with  the  utmost  awk- 
wardness, glanced  around  desperately  when  he 
reached  the  foot  of  the  dais,  as  if  looking  for  a 
place  to  run  away ;  and  when  the  Empress  Queen, 
with  her  characteristic  grace,  pinned  the  magnifi- 
cent decoration  on  his  breast,  he  almost  fell  over 
the  royal  footstool  in  his  attempt  to  kneel  and  kiss 
her  hand. 

"  j^ever  mind,"  whispered  St.  Arnaud.  '^  Wait 
until  you  see  him  leading  the  charge  up  a  hill,  with 
Prussians  well  posted  at  the  top.  He  never  falters 
or  palters  then,  nor  falls  over  anything,  nor  looks 
around  to  see  if  there  is  any  chance  of  running 
away.'^ 

The  air  of  hope  and  encouragement  worn  by 
the  Empress  Queen  was  infectious.  All  were  un- 
der the  influence  of  excitement,  and  it  brought 
brightness  to  the  eyes  and  a  ringing  echo  to  the 
voices  of  all.  'Never  had  Gavin  passed  a  gayer 
evening,  nor  had  St.  Arnaud.  As  for  Lady  Ham- 
ilton, many  mothers  and  wives  and  sisters  were 
238 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

present  who  were  no  less  brave  than  she;  but  if 
she  had  been  asked  to  name  one  of  the  periods  of 
most  exquisite  misery  in  her  life,  it  would  have 
been  the  night  of  that  brilliant  levee,  when,  with 
a  head  proudly  erect  and  a  smiling  face,  she  walked 
through  the  stately  splendours  of  a  palace. 

Before  midnight  they  were  home  again.  Ma- 
dame Ziska  had  a  delicious  supper  waiting  for 
them,  and  Kalenga's  chair  was  already  drawn  up 
to  the  table.  Amid  laughter  and  toasts  and  the 
most  dazzling  anticipations,  on  Gavin's  part,  of 
the  campaign,  an  hour  was  passed.  Then  they 
heard  the  tramping  of  horses  at  the  door,  as  the 
orderly  brought  them  trotting  down  the  stony 
street. 

The  children  were  supposed  to  be  in  bed,  as 
Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  were  giving  some  last  mes- 
sages and  little  presents  for  them,  when  a  door 
opened,  and  Freda  and  Gretchen,  with  the  two 
boys,  all  fully  dressed,  walked  in. 

"  We  knew  you  were  going  away,"  cried  Freda, 
trying  not  to  cry ;  "  so  after  we  had  been  put  to 
bed  we  agreed  to  get  up  and  dress  ourselves  when 
you  came  home  from  the  levee — and — and — " 

Freda  broke  down,  immediately  followed  by 
Gretchen  and  the  two  little  boys,  who  considered 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

it  a  mark  of  affection  for  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud 
to  bawl  at  the  top  of  their  lungs.  Tlie  two  depart- 
ing ones  hastily  kissed  the  children  all  around,  and 
Gavin  was  forced  to  gently  disentangle  Freda's 
arms  from  about  his  neck ;  and  wringing  Kalenga's 
hand,  they  went  to  the  door,  accompanied  by  Lady 
Hamilton  and  Madame  Ziska.  Farewells,  heart- 
felt, but  silent  and  swift,  were  exchanged,  and  a 
moment  after,  when  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  were 
clattering  down  the  street,  Gavin  said  in  a  low 
voice : 

"  The  Prussians  cannot  make  us  suffer  more 
than  in  parting  from  those  we  love.  That  last  kiss 
of  my  mother's — oh,  St.  Arnaud,  I  can  never, 
never  forget  it !  " 


CHAPTER  XI 

At  sunrise,  on  a  beautiful  April  morning,  the 
last  detachment  of  General  Loudon's  light  troops, 
^ye  thousand  strong,  took  up  their  march  to  join 
the  army  of  Marshal  Daun. 

Every  officer  and  man  wore  in  his  helmet  a  sprig 
of  green,  according  to  an  ancient  custom  of  the 
Austrian  army  when  beginning  a  campaign.  Vast 
crowds  assembled  at  every  point  of  vantage  along 
the  highway  to  applaud  these  favourite  troops; 
while,  afar  off,  the  steeples,  towers,  and  belfries  of 
Vienna  were  black  with  people  watching  as  this 
splendid  body  of  men  unwound  itself,  like  a  great 
serpent,  and  turned  its  head  toward  the  enemy. 

Gavin  felt  triumphantly  happy  as  his  troop,  well 
horsed  and  clad,  fell  in  line.  They  were  mostly 
new  recruits,  with  a  sprinkling  of  seasoned  sol- 
diers, but  they  had  had  several  months  of  breaking 
in  at  the  cantonments,  and  being  originally  of  stout 
fibre — honest  peasantry,  used  to  an  outdoor  life  of 
toil — they  were  already  fair  soldiers.     If  every; 

241 
16 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

one  of  them  did  not  burn  with  enthusiasm,  as 
Gavin  did,  to  distinguish  himself,  thej  had  a  fine 
and  noble  esprit  de  corps,  which  rendered  it  cer- 
tain that  every  man  would  do  his  duty  to  his  sover- 
eign and  his  country. 

St.  Amaud,  as  captain,  had  more  liberty  in  his 
movements  on  the  march  than  Gavin;  but  Gavin, 
riding  along  contentedly  at  the  head  of  his  troop, 
was  well  entertained  by  his  own  thoughts. 

"  If  I  expect  promotion,"  he  argued  to  himself, 
"  I  ought  to  show  by  the  condition  of  the  men  un- 
der me  how  I  could  manage  a  larger  body.  l!^ow, 
having  been  a  private  soldier  myself,  I  know  ex- 
actly what  these  fellows  will  do  and  will  not  do. 
They  will  not,  at  first,  know  how  to  make  them- 
selves comfortable;  but  I,  who  went  through  two 
campaigns,  know  a  thing  or  two  about  that.  Then, 
when  a  man  is  ill,  if  he  is  a  brave  fellow,  he  will 
make  out  that  he  is  well,  and  won't  go  to  the  hospi- 
tal ;  but  I  will  look  sharp  after  him  and  see  that  he 
does.  The  faint-hearted  ones  will  imagine  they  are 
ill  every  time  things  look  a  little  blue.  Aha!  I 
shall  catch  those  fellows.  I  will  have  my  men  so 
that  St.  Amaud  will  say  to  the  major :  '  Do  you 
notice  Lieutenant  Hamilton's  troop?  Always 
ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  them  fit  for  duty.'  Then 
243 


OF  GAfiN  HAMILTON 

the  major,  reporting  to  the  lieutenant-colonel,  will 
say ;  ^  Do  you  observe  Lieutenant  Hamilton's  ex- 
cellent report  ? '  And  the  lieutenant-colonel,  talk- 
ing with  the  colonel,  will  say :  '  Lieutenant  Hamil- 
ton's troop  is  the  best  in  St.  Arnaud's  command, 
and  St.  Arnaud's  command  is  the  best  in  the  regi- 
ment.' And  the  colonel,  one  day,  as  we  file  past, 
will  say  to  General  Loudon :  ^  Will  your  Excellency 
notice  Captain  St.  Arnaud's  command,  how  well 
it  looks  and  marches  ? '  And  General  Loudon  will 
reply ;  ^  True ;  and  Lieutenant  Hamilton's  troop  is 
the  best  of  them.'  And  so,  when  promotions  are 
going,  it  will  be  said :  ^  St.  Arnaud  and  that  young 
Hamilton  must  not  be  left  out.'  Oh,  what  a  stroke 
of  good  fortune  it  was  that  I  got  lost  in  the  snow 
in  Silesia !  " 

When  they  halted  for  the  night,  Gavin  made 
good  all  he  had  said  concerning  his  knowledge  of 
how  to  make  his  men  comfortable.  His  troopers, 
seeing  this  intimate  knowledge  of  their  wants,  and 
that  they  w^ere  attended  to  before  their  young  lieu- 
tenant looked  after  his  own  comfort,  conceived  an 
instant  respect  for  him.  After  he  had  seen  that 
both  men  and  horses  w^ere  provided  for,  Gavin  has- 
tened to  the  tent  to  be  shared  in  common  by  St. 
Arnaud  and  himself.  St.  Arnaud  had  been  equally 
243 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

zealous  in  the  performance  of  his  dutj;  and  it  was 
more  onerous  than  Gavin's.  But  presently  he  ar- 
rived; their  servant  had  provided  them  with  a 
good  supper,  and  they  spent  their  first  evening  of 
campaigning  with  the  greatest  merriment. 

Those  days  of  marching  toward  Marshal  Daun 
were  to  Gavin  very  happy.  He  loved  a  soldier^s 
life,  and  when  he  had  bright  spring  weather  and 
mild  April  nights,  with  the  comforts  of  an  officer 
on  the  march,  he  had  nothing  else  to  ask  for  in  life 
except  promotion. 

They  reached  the  neighbourhood  of  Leutomischl 
within  a  few  days,  and  found  an  army  of  fifty 
thousand  men  assembled,  mostly  raw  recruits,  with 
the  remnants  of  the  men  who  had  made  the  disas- 
trous autumn  campaign.  Forty  miles  off  lay  Fred- 
erick of  Prussia,  with  forty  thousand  men,  besieg- 
ing Olmutz.  If  he  succeeded  in  capturing  this 
strongly  fortified  place  the  road  to  Vienna  would 
be  open.  But  it  was  an  undertaking  difficult  for 
even  the  stupendous  military  genius  of  Frederick. 
The  town  was  naturally  protected  by  the  numerous 
branches  of  the  Morawa  River,  and  these  sluices, 
generally  kept  dammed,  could  easily  be  flooded 
and  oppose  difficult  obstacles  to  overcome.  In  ad- 
dition to  this,  all  of  the  Prussian  supplies — food, 
2M 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ammunition,  and  money — had  to  be  transported  by 
wagons  from  N'eisse,  a  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
off,  while  the  last  eighty  miles  from  Troppau  were 
extremely  dangerous,  and  required  a  protecting 
force  of  more  than  ten  thousand  men  for  each  of 
the  monthly  convoys  of  from  three  to  four  thou- 
sand four-horse  wagons. 

Marshal  Daun  was  proverbial  for  his  slowness 
and  caution,  and  it  was  often  a  source  of  congratu- 
lation to  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  that  they  were  un- 
der General  Loudon,  who  was  in  a  state  of  per- 
petual activity.  There  were  continual  scouting 
parties  almost  to  the  gates  of  Olmutz,  and  constant 
communication  with  the  town  and  garrison.  Both 
were  determined  to  resist,  and  being  well  provided 
with  food  and  ammunition,  there  was  no  thought 
of  surrender.  Frederick,  who  is  thought  to  have 
shown  less  ability  in  sieges  than  in  battles,  had 
allowed  his  engineers  to  begin  their  first  parallel 
too  far  away  from  the  lines,  and  the  first  bombard- 
ment, terrific  in  point  of  noise,  and  costing  vast 
amounts  of  the  gunpowder  so  precious  to  the  Prus- 
sians, did  not  the  smallest  harm. 

The  month  of  May  opened,  and  although  Fred- 
erick pursued  the  siege  with  vigour,  Marshal  Daun 
still  lay  among  the  hills  and  mountains,  moving  a 
245 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

little  off  from  Leutomisclil,  but  still  keeping  about 
forty  miles  from  Olmutz.  He  knew,  however,  that 
all  was  going  well  for  the  Austrians  and  ill  for  the 
Prussians  at  Olmutz.  The  Pandours,  light-armed 
Hungarian  infantry,  that  in  marching  could  equal 
the  cavalry,  infested  the  neighbourhood  of  the  town 
and  fortress  in  small  parties,  and  even  singly, 
while  Loudon's  corps,  chiefly  light  cavalry,  but 
with  four  regiments  of  grenadiers,  made  it  danger- 
ous to  all  small  bodies  of  Prussian  troops  who  ven- 
tured away  from  their  lines.  Loudon's  compre- 
hensive and  piercing  eye  did  not  fail  to  see  the 
qualifications  of  all  his  ofiicers,  even  the  subalterns, 
whom  he  knew  through  the  reports  he  exacted 
of  their  superiors,  and  he  soon  came  to  realize 
that  in  Captain  St.  Arnaud  he  had  a  man  after 
his  own  heart.  And  riding  one  day  with  the 
colonel  of  St.  Arnaud's  regiment,  the  general 
said : 

"  Is  not  that  young  Sublieutenant  Hamilton, 
who  is  always  with  Captain  St.  Arnaud,  a  capable 
officer  ? " 

"  Very,  sir ;  his  activity  and  enterprise,  as  well 
as  Captain  St.  Arnaud's,  were  shown  by  their  es- 
cape from  Glatz.  As  you  probably  know,  Hamil- 
ton is  of  good  English  and  Scotch  blood,  but,  owing 
246 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

to  some  family  troubles,  his  youth  was  spent  in 
poverty  and  obscurity,  and  he  served  some  time 
in  the  French  army  as  a  private  soldier.  The  Em- 
press Queen  herself  gave  him  his  commission,  and 
the  young  man  seems  burning  to  distinguish  him- 
self." 

General  Loudon,  himself  a  Scotchman,  was  not 
less  interested  in  Gavin  from  knowing  his  na- 
tionality. 

May  passed  into  June,  and  June  waned;  still 
Marshal  Daun  gave  no  sign  of  interrupting  the 
siege  of  Olmutz.  He  had  merely  taken  up  a  posi- 
tion a  few  miles  nearer,  where  he  patiently  waited 
for  the  hour  of  action.  The  officers  and  men  of 
Loudon's  corps  were  envied  by  the  rest  of  the  army, 
as  they  alone  were  actively  employed. 

One  night,  after  a  week  of  very  active  scouting, 
St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  were  sitting  in  their  tent, 
when  a  message  from  General  Loudon  came  for 
St.  Arnaud.  He  at  once  left,  and  it  was  an  hour 
before  he  returned.  When  he  entered,  his  gleam- 
ing eyes  and  smiling  face  showed  that  he  had  some- 
thing pleasant  to  tell. 

"  Good  news !  great  news !  "  he  said,  sitting  down 
on  the  table,  where  Gavin  was  studying  a  large 
map  of  the  country  spread  out  before  him.  "  We 
247 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

move  tomorrow.  A  wagon  train  of  more  than 
three  thousand  four-horse  wagons,  loaded  with 
money,  food,  clothing,  and  ammunition — they  say 
our  old  acquaintance,  the  King  of  Prussia,  is  devil- 
ish short  of  ammunition — has  started  from  ITeisse. 
If  it  reaches  Olmutz,  it  will  prolong  the  siege  cer- 
tainly— Frederick  thinks  it  will  give  him  the  vic- 
tory. But  if  we  can  stop  it,  we  can  save  Olmutz 
without  a  pitched  battle,  and  thereby  ruin  the 
Prussian  campaign  in  the  beginning.  It  has  an 
escort  of  seven  thousand  men,  and  four  thousand 
men  will  be  sent  to  meet  it;  that  means  that  the 
Prussians  must  lose  a  whole  army  corps,  as  well 
as  their  three  or  four  thousand  wagons  and  twelve 
thousand  horses." 

"  And  wo  will  stop  them  here,"  cried  Gavin, 
excitably,  pointing  on  the  map  to  the  pass  of  Dom- 
stadtl.  "  You  know,  that  pass,  hemmed  in  by 
mountains,  and  narrow  and  devious,  a  thousand 
men  could  stop  ten  thousand  there." 

"  We  will  make  a  feint  at  Guntersdorf,  a  few 
miles  before  they  get  to  Domstadtl;  but  you  are 
right ;  the  Prussians  must  open  that  gate  and  shut 
it  after  them  if  they  want  to  save  their  convoy; 
and  the  opening  and  shutting  will  be  hard  enough, 
I  promise  you.  We  move  the  day  after  to-morrow, 
248 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

so  go  to  bed.  You  will  have  work  to  do  to-mor- 
row." 

Work,  indeed,  there  was  to  do  for  every  officer 
and  man  in  Marshal  Daun's  army ;  and  the  morn- 
ing after  they  were  on  the  march.  It  was  a  bright 
and  beautiful  June  morning,  and  it  seemed  a  holi- 
day march  to  the  fifty  thousand  Austrians.  Mar- 
shal Daun  was  noted  for  keeping  his  men  well 
fed,  and  the  friendly  disposition  of  the  people  in 
the  province  made  this  an  easy  thing  to  do.  The 
Austrian  armies  were  ever  the  most  picturesque 
in  Europe,  owing  to  the  splendour  and  variety  of 
their  uniforms  and  the  different  races  represented. 
Rested  and  refreshed  after  the  disastrous  campaign 
of  the  autumn,  on  this  day  they  hailed  with  joy 
the  prospect  of  meeting  their  ancient  enemy. 
With  fresh  twigs  in  their  helmets,  with  their  knap- 
sacks well  filled,  the  great  masses  of  cavalry,  in- 
fantry, and  artillery  stepped  out  in  beautiful  or- 
der, threading  their  way  along  the  breezy  uplands 
and  through  the  green  heart  of  the  wooded  hills 
down  to  the  charming  valleys  below. 

St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  were  with  the  vanguard. 

A  part  of  their  duty  was  to  throw  a  reinforcement 

of  eleven  hundred  men  into  Olmutz,  and  it  was 

Marshal  Daun's  design  to  make  Frederick  think 

249 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

that  a  pitched  battle  in  front  of  Olmutz  was  de- 
signed. 

All  through  the  dewy  morning  they  travelled 
briskly,  and  after  a  short  rest  at  noon  they  again 
took  up  the  line  of  march  in  the  golden  afternoon. 
About  six  o'clock  they  reached  a  little  white  vil- 
lage in  the  plain,  which  was  to  be  the  halting  place 
for  the  night  of  Loudon's  corps. 

It  was  an  exquisite  June  evening,  cool  for  the 
season,  with  a  young  moon  trembling  in  the  east, 
and  a  sky  all  green  and  rose  and  opal  in  the  west. 
Myriads  of  flashing  stars  glittered  in  the  deep  blue 
heavens,  and  the  passing  from  the  golden  light  of 
day  to  the  silver  radiance  of  the  night  was  inef- 
fably lovely. 

From  the  vast  green  plain  and  the  dusky  hills 
and  valleys  rose  the  camp-fires  of  fifty  thousand 
men.  Just  at  sunset  the  band  of  St.  Arnaud's 
regiment,  marching  out  to  a  green  field  beyond  the 
village,  began  to  play  the  national  hymn.  Other 
bands,  from  the  near-by  plain  and  the  far-away 
recesses  of  the  hills  and  valleys,  joined  in,  and  the 
music,  deliciously  softened  by  the  distances,  floated 
upward,  till  it  was  lost  in  the  evening  sky. 

Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud,  walking  together  along  a 
little  hawthorn-bordered  lane,  listened  with  a  feel- 
250 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ing  of  delight  so  sharp  as  to  be  almost  pain.  The 
magic  beauty  of  the  scene,  the  hour,  and  the  sweet 
music  were  overpowering.  St.  Arnaud's  words, 
after  a  long  silence,  when  the  last  echo  of  the  music 
had  died  among  the  hills,  were : 

"  And  this  delicious  prelude  is  the  beginning  of 
the  great  concert  of  war,  cannon,  and  musketry, 
the  groans  and  cries  of  the  wounded,  the  wild  weep- 
ing of  widows  and  orphans,  the  tap  of  the  drum  in 
the  funeral  march." 

"  And  shouts  of  victory,  and  the  knowledge  of 
having  done  one's  duty,  and  the  sweet  acclaims  of 
all  we  love  when  we  return,"  answered  Gavin. 

"  I  am  older  than  you,  and  have  seen  more  of 
war,"  was  St.  Arnaud's  reply. 

Day  broke  next  morning  upon  a  fair  and  cloud- 
less world.  It  continued  cool  for  the  season,  and 
the  sun  was  not  too  warm  to  drive  away  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  air.  By  sunrise  they  were  on  the 
march  again,  and  by  noon  Frederick,  at  his  great 
camp  of  Prossnitz,  saw  through  his  glass  masses  of 
Austrians  appearing  through  the  trees  and  taking 
post  on  the  opposite  heights,  and  turning  to  his 
aide,  said: 

"  Those  Austrians  are  learning  to  march, 
though!" 

251 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

In  the  Prussian  army  it  was  thouglit  that  bat- 
tle was  meant,  and  troops  were  hurried  forward 
to  that  side  of  the  fortress.  But  Loudon,  stealthily 
creeping  up  on  the  other  side,  engaging  such  force 
as  was  left — eleven  hundred  grenadiers — ^^vithout 
firing  a  shot  or  losing  a  man  double-quicked  it 
into  the  fortress.  By  the  afternoon  the  Austrians 
had  melted  out  of  sight,  and  the  garrison  was 
stronger  by  eleven  hundred  men. 

In  this  demonstration  on  the  other  side  of  the 
fortress  St.  Arnaud's  command  had  taken  part. 
It  was  well  understood  that  the  action-  was  a  mere 
feint  to  cover  the  grenadiers  who  were  running 
into  the  fortress,  and  St.  Arnaud  had  privately 
warned  Gavin  against  leading  his  troop  too  far, 
knowing  that  a  single  troop  may  bring  on  a  gen- 
eral engagement.  Gavin  promised  faithfully  to 
remember  this,  and  did,  until  finding  himself,  for 
the  first  time,  close  to  a  small  body  of  Prussian 
infantry,  in  an  old  apple  orchard,  he  suddenly 
dashed  forward,  waving  his  sword  frantically,  and 
yelling  for  his  men  to  come  on.  The  Prussians  were 
not  to  be  frightened  by  that  sort  of  thing,  and 
coolly  waiting,  partly  protected  by  the  trees  and 
undergrowth,  received  the  Austrians  with  a  vol- 
ley. One  trooper  rolled  out  of  his  saddle;  the 
252 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

sight  maddened  the  rest,  and  the  first  thing  St. 
Arnaud  knew  he  was  in  the  midst  of  a  sharp 
skirmish.  The  Prussians  stood  their  ground,  and 
as  the  Austrians  had  no  infantry  at  hand,  it  took 
some  time  to  dislodge  them.  Nor  was  it  done 
without  loss  on  the  Austrian  side.  At  last,  how- 
ever, the  Prussians  began  a  backward  movement, 
in  perfect  order,  and  without  losing  a  man.  St. 
Arnaud,  glad  to  have  them  go  on  almost  any  terms, 
was  amazed  and  infuriated  to  hear  Gavin  shouting 
to  his  men,  and  to  see  them  following  him  at  a 
gallop,  under  the  trees,  toward  the  wall  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  orchard,  where  the  Prussians 
could  ask  no  better  place  to  make  a  stand.  In 
vain  the  bugler  rent  the  air  with  the  piercing  notes 
of  the  recall.  Gavin  only  turned,  and  waving  his 
sword  at  St.  Arnaud  plunged  ahead.  St.  Arnaud, 
wild  with  anxiety,  sent  an  orderly  after  him  with 
peremptory  brders  to  return;  but  Gavin  kept  on. 
St.  Arnaud,  sending  a  number  of  his  men  around 
in  an  effort  to  flank  the  Prussians,  was  presently 
relieved  to  see  some  of  Gavin's  troopers  straggling 
back.  And  last  of  all  he  saw  Gavin,  with  a  man 
lying  across  the  rump  of  his  horse,  making  his  way 
out  of  the  orchard.  At  that  moment  General  Lou- 
don, with  a  single  staff-officer,  rode  up. 
253     . 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  Captain  St.  Arnaud/'  said  he  in  a  voice  of 
suppressed  anger,  "  I  am  amazed  at  what  I  see. 
If  this  firing  is  heard,  it  may  bring  the  Prussians 
on  our  backs  in  such  force  that  not  only  our  grena- 
diers will  not  get  into  the  fortress,  but  they  may  be 
captured.  My  orders  were,  distinctly,  there  should 
be  no  fighting,  if  possible.  Here  I  see  a  part  of 
your  command  following  the  enemy  into  a  position 
where  a  hundred  of  them  could  hold  their  own 
against  a  thousand  cavalry." 

St.  Arnaud  was  in  a  rage  with  Gavin,  and  think- 
ing it  would  be  the  best  thing  in  the  world  for 
Gavin  to  get  then  and  there  the  rebuke  he  de- 
served, replied  firmly : 

"  It  is  not  I,  sir,  who  has  disobeyed  your  orders. 
Lieutenant  Hamilton's  impetuosity  led  him  into 
this,  and  I  have  been  trying  to  recall  him  for  the 
last  half  hour.  Here  is  Lieutenant  Hamilton 
now." 

Gavin  rode  up.  An  overhanging  bough  had 
grazed  his  nose  and  made  it  bleed,  and  at  the  same 
time  had  given  him  a  black  and  swollen  eye.  And 
another  bough  had  caught  in  his  coat  and  torn  it 
nearly  off  his  body.  But  these  minor  particulars 
were  lost  in  the  vast  and  expansive  grin  which 
wreathed  his  face.  The  thought  that  illumined 
254 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

his  mind  and  emblazoned  his   countenance  was 
this : 

"  The  general  is  here.  He  must  have  seen  what 
I  did.  What  good  fortune!  My  promotion  is 
sure." 

But  what  General  Loudon  said  was  this : 

"  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  your  conduct  to-day  is 
as  much  deserving  of  a  court  martial  as  any  I  ever 
saw  on  the  field.  You  have  not  only  unnecessarily 
endangered  the  lives  of  your  men — a  crime  on  the 
part  of  an  officer — ^but  you  have  come  near  endan- 
gering the  whole  success  of  our  movement.  Your 
place  after  this  will  be  with  neither  the  vanguard 
nor  the  rear-guard,  but  with  the  main  body,  where 
you  can  do  as  little  harm  by  your  rashness  as  pos- 
sible." 

Gavin's  look  of  triumph  changed  to  one  of  utter 
bewilderment,  and  then  to  one  of  mingled  rage  and 
horror.  General  Loudon,  without  another  word, 
rode  off.  Gavin,  half  choking,  cried  to  St.  Ar- 
naud: 

"  But  you  know  what  I  went  after  ?  My  first 
sergeant  was  shot  through  both  legs — the  fellow 
was  in  the  lead — and  he  cried  out  to  me  to  come 
and  save  him.  Just  then  I  heard  the  bugle,  but 
could  I  leave  that  poor  fellow  there  to  die  ?  " 
255 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  Certainly  not ;  and  this  shall  be  kno^vn ;  but 
you  were  very  rash  in  the  beginning ;  so  come  on, 
and  wash  your  face  the  first  time  you  come  to 
water." 

The  rest  of  that  day  was  like  an  unhappy  dream 
to  Gavin.  They  were  again  on  the  march  by  three 
o'clock,  and  at  bivouac  they  had  rejoined  the  main 
body. 

Their  camp  that  night  was  well  beyond  Olmutz, 
and  led  them  again  toward  the  mountains.  When 
all  the  arrangements  for  the  night  were  made,  and 
their  tent  was  pitched,  St.  Arnaud,  who  had  been 
absent  for  half  an  hour,  returned  and  looked  in. 
He  saw  Gavin  sitting  on  the  ground  in  an  attitude 
of  utter  dejection. 

^^  Come,"  cried  St.  Arnaud  gayly ;  "  you  take 
the  general  too  seriously ;  he  was  angry  with  you, 
and  so  was  I,  for  that  matter;  but  he  knows  all 
the  facts  now." 

"  It  is  of  no  consequence,"  replied  Gavin  sullen- 
ly. But  when  St.  Arnaud  urged  him,  he  rose  and 
joined  him  for  a  stroll  about  the  camp.  As  they 
were  walking  along  a  little  path  that  led  along 
the  face  of  a  ravine,  they  saw,  in  the  clear  twilight 
of  the  June  evening.  General  Loudon,  quite  unat- 
tended, approaching  them.  Gavin  would  have 
256 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

turned  off,  but  St.  Arnaud  would  not  let  him.  As 
they  stood  on  the  side  of  the  path,  respectfully 
to  let  the  general  pass,  he  stopped  and  said  in  the 
rather  awkward  way  which  was  usual  with  him: 

"  I  make  no  apology  for  my  words  to  you  to-day, 
Lieutenant  Hamilton,  because,  on  cool  reflection, 
I  still  think  that  you  deserve  them.  I  found  out, 
however,  later,  that  you  performed  an  act  of  great 
gallantry  in  rescuing  your  wounded  sergeant,  and 
I  have  already  recommended  you  for  promotion 
to  Marshal  Daun." 

General  Loudon  extended  his  hand.  Gavin, 
quite  overcome,  took  it  silently,  and  after  a  cordial 
grasp  and  a  word  or  two  between  St.  Arnaud  and 
General  Loudon  he  passed  on. 

''  You  told  him,"  was  all  Gavin  could  say  to 
St.  Arnaud. 

"  What  if  I  did  ?  I  was  bound  to  tell  him  all 
that  happened  before  his  report  was  sent  to  Mar- 
shal Daun." 

The  day  had  been  a  nightmare,  but  the  night 
was  so  happy  that  Gavin  could  not  sleep. 

Erom  the  22d  until  the  28th  Loudon's  corps  was 
travelling  toward  the  convoy  by  a  long  and  cir- 
cuitous hill  route,  quite  out  of  sight  and  knowledge 
of  the  Prussians.     Marshal  Daun  had  remained 

257 
17 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

behind  with  the  main  body,  having  crossed  the 
Moldawa  River,  while  General  Ziskowitz,  with 
several  thousand  men,  remained  on  the  other  side, 
ready  to  reinforce  General  Loudon,  should  he  be 
needed. 

Those  six  June  days  were  cloudless,  and  what 
with  easy  marching  and  mild  nights  and  good  fare, 
never  was  campaigning  pleasanter.  Their  march 
lay  among  the  hills  and  mountains,  clothed  in  their 
freshest  green.  Pure  and  sparkling  streams 
abounded  in  the  wooded  heights  and  cool,  green 
solitudes.  The  oldest  soldiers  declared  it  to  be  the 
pleasantest  march  they  had  ever  made. 

On  the  sixth  day  they  began  to  listen  attentively 
for  the  noise  of  the  approaching  convoy,  which, 
with  its  escort,  was  stretched  out  full  twenty  miles. 
Soon  after  daybreak,  as  the  Austrians  were  push- 
ing toward  the  woody  defiles  near  Guntersdorf,  a 
low  reverberation  was  heard,  like  the  far-distant 
echo  of  breakers  on  the  shore.  It  was  the  rolling 
of  twelve  thousand  iron-bound  wheels,  while  the 
iron-shod  hoofs  of  twelve  thousand  horses  smote 
the  earth.  General  Loudon  immediately  made  his 
preparations  to  attack  at  Guntersdorf,  but  it  was 
understood  that  if  a  determined  resistance  was 
made  the  Austrians  should  fall  back  to  Dom- 
258 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

stadtl,  through  whose  dark  defiles  and  gloomy 
passes  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  Prussians  to 
fight  their  way. 

St.  Arnaud's  regiment  led  the  van,  and  he  and 
Gavin  rode  side  by  side  through  the  dewy  fresh- 
ness of  the  morning.  The  road  was  steep  and 
winding,  but  always  picturesque,  and  the  trees 
were  in  their  first  fresh  livery  of  green.  They  rode 
briskly,  men  and  horses  inspired  by  the  freshness 
and  vitality  of  the  delicious  mountain  air.  Ever 
as  they  drew  nearer  the  road  by  which  the  convoy 
was  making  its  creaking,  rolling,  thundering  way, 
the  sullen  roar  grew  nearer  and  louder.  On  reach- 
ing Guntersdorf,  General  Loudon  quickly  posted  a 
part  of  his  force  in  the  defiles,  with  several  pieces 
of  artillery  concealed  among  the  wooded  heights. 
The  general  rode  hither  and  thither,  and  pres- 
ently came  up  to  where  St.  Arnaud's  and  Gavin's 
regiment  was  posted,  on  the  brow  of  a  spur  of  the 
mountains,  thick  with  trees  and  rocks. 

"  We  shall  meet  the  advance  guard  and  escort 
here;  it  is  probably  three  thousand  men,  with 
seven  or  eight  thousand  to  follow ;  but  if  we  throw 
them  into  confusion  and  overwhelm  them,  it  will 
be  enough.  It  is  impossible  to  stop  at  once  a  wagon 
train  twenty  miles  long,  and  the  wagons  will  help 
259 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

ns  to  win  the  battle,  by  those  behind  pressing  those 
in  front  upon  our  guns.  Then  we  shall  fall  back 
to  Domstadtl,  where  we  can  destroy  the  convoy  at 
our  leisure." 

At  that  moment,  from  their  commanding  po- 
sition, St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  looked  across  a  low- 
lying  flank  of  the  mountains,  and  winding  across 
a  vallev,  four  miles  awav,  were  a  thousand  Prus- 
sian  dragoons,  while  behind  them  came  a  long  line 
of  infantry,  and  then  the  great  wagon  train,  four 
abreast. 

^ever  had  either  Gavin  or  St.  Arnaud  seen  such 
a  sight  as  this  vast  mass  of  men,  horses,  and 
wagons  that  poured  in  a  steady  stream  into  the 
valley.  The  earth  shook  with  the  mighty  tramp, 
and  great  clouds  of  dust  enveloped  them  like  a 
fog. 

The  stillness  of  the  early  June  morning  re- 
mained unbroken  for  an  hour;  yet  v/hile  this 
strange  procession  unwound  itself  and  approached 
nearer  and  nearer  the  defiles  of  Guntersdorf  the 
noise  became  deafening,  and  the  horses  of  the  Aus- 
trian cavalry  trembled  with  fear  as  the  earth  shook 
under  their  feet.  Presently,  the  first  platoon  of 
Prussian  cavalry  debouched  before  an  Austrian 
field  battery,  concealed  in  the  heights  above  them. 
260 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Suddenly  the  thunderous  roar  of  wheels  and  hoofs 
was  cut  into  by  the  booming  of  guns,  and  cannon- 
balls  dropped  among  the  troopers.  Instantly  there 
was  a  halt,  the  infantry  closed  up,  and  under  a 
heavy  fire  the  Prussians  formed  and  rushed  up  the 
heights  to  silence  the  guns.  The  Austrians  stood 
their  gTound,  supported  by  both  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry; but  meanwhile  the  wagons  were  fighting 
the  battle  for  them.  In  vain  had  orders  been  sent 
back  to  halt  the  train.  It  came  pressing  on  with  an 
irresistible  force,  like  the  force  of  gravity.  The 
Austrians,  seeing  the  beginning  of  hopeless  con- 
fusion and  panic  in  the  wagon  train,  which 
could  only  increase,  drew  off,  inducing  the  Prus- 
sians to  follow  them.  There  was  some  sharp  fight- 
ing among  the  passes,  but,  as  Gavin  said,  just  as 
he  was  beginning  to  enjoy  himself  the  order  came 
to  fall  back  to  Domstadtl. 

It  was  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
the  Austrians  began  to  retrace  the  road  they  had 
travelled  soon  after  daybreak.  St.  Arnaud's  and 
Gavin's  regiment,  having  had  the  van  in  the  ad- 
vance, were  the  rear-guard  of  the  retrograde  move- 
ment. As  they  trotted  along  behind  the  last  rank 
of  troopers,  they  both  cast  many  backward  looks 
at  the  rude  mountain  roads  through  which  the 
261 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

Prussians  were  toiling  to  their  destruction  in  the 
impenetrable  ravines  of  Domstadtl.  The  troops 
had  reformed  as  well  as  they  could,  but  the  wagons 
were  in  a  terrible  state  of  disorder.  Some  hun- 
dreds of  them  had  stopped  at  Guntersdorf,  but 
these  had  been  swept  away  and  trampled  under 
foot  by  the  advancing  legions.  Some  of  the  wagon- 
ers had  turned  their  vehicles  around  and  were 
making  for  the  rear,  knowing  fighting  to  be  ahead 
of  them ;  others,  cutting  the  traces,  mounted  the 
horses  and  galloped  no  one  knew  whither,  leaving 
a  solid  barricade  of  wagons  in  the  road  to  be  dis- 
persed. And  ever  from  behind  came  this  ava- 
lanche of  horses  and  wagons,  pressing  on,  halting 
at  obstacles,  scattered  in  dire  confusion,  but 
always,  always,  a  stream  pouring  on. 

The  Austrians  reached  the  gloomy  pass  of  Dom- 
stadtl only  a  little  in  advance  of  the  Prussians, 
and  before  they  had  well  taken  their  positions  and 
unlimbered  their  artillery  the  Prussian  vanguard, 
very  gallantly  led,  had  forced  its  way  through  the 
pass,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  wagons  on  the 
gallop.  But  then  came  the  howling  of  the  Aus- 
trian artillery,  and  the  advance  was  checked.  Col- 
onel Mosel,  the  Prussian  commander,  seeing  there 
was  no  forcing  the  pass,  formed  all  his  wagons 
262 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

as  fast  as  they  arrived  in  a  great  square — a  wagon 
fortress,  as  it  was  called — and  prepared  to  defend 
it.  General  Zeithen,  with  the  guard  for  the  sec- 
ond section,  moved  rapidly  backward  to  turn  the 
great  stream  of  men  and  horses  and  wheels  back 
on  Troppau.  But  still  they  came  surging  on,  men 
losing  their  heads,  and  driving  forward  when  they 
were  ordered  to  turn  backward.  And  on  the  wagon 
fortress  played  the  Austrian  artillery,  while  the 
cavalry,  dashing  up  to  the  remnants  of  the  Prus- 
sian guard,  sabred  them  at  the  wagons.  The 
wagon  horses  grew  wild  with  fright,  and  their 
plunging,  rearing,  and  frantic  whinnying  added 
to  the  maelstrom  of  disorder.  The  powder  wagons 
were  in  this  division,  and  when  an  Austrian  can- 
non-ball fell  into  one  of  these,  the  explosion  seemed 
as  if  it  would  rend  the  solid  mountains.  Others 
caught  from  the  sparks  of  this  one,  and  the  scene 
and  sound,  as  deafening  crashes  resounded,  and 
masses  of  flame  and  smoke  ascended,  were  like  the 
infernal  regions.  Huge  rocks,  split  by  the  concus- 
sion of  thousands  of  pounds  of  gunpowder,  rolled 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  sweeping  away 
men  and  horses  in  their  resistless  course.  Up- 
rooted trees  and  a  vast  mass  of  debris  followed 
these  awful  reverberations.    Horses  dropped  dead 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

in  their  tracks,  men  fell  to  the  ground,  stunned  by 
the  roar,  and  were  unable  to  rise;  others  bled  at 
the  nose ;  some  became  totally  deaf.  The  sky  was 
obscured  with  smoke,  and  in  the  semi-darkness  at 
midday  men's  faces,  blackened  with  powder,  had  a 
frightful  appearance.  Fighting  continued  at  all 
points  along  the  line,  where  the  eleven  thousand 
Prussians  endeavoured  to  make  a  stand  at  many 
places,  but  were  completely  overborne.  Cannon 
and  musketry  added  their  horrors  to  the  scene,  and 
when  men  fought  at  all  they  fought  like  demons. 
All  through  the  June  day  this  fearful  combat 
raged  through  the  mountain  passes ;  and  when  the 
sun,  obscured  in  dim  clouds,  set,  the  great  wagon 
train  was  utterly  destroyed,  with  thousands  of  its 
escort,  wagoners,  and  horses  dead. 

jSTeither  St.  Arnaud  nor  Gavin  slept  in  a  tent 
that  night,  but  throwing  themselves  on  the  ground, 
wrapped  in  their  cloaks,  slept  the  sleep  of  exhaus- 
tion and  collapse. 

By  sunset  Frederick  of  Prussia  knew  that  his 
convoy  was  destroyed,  and  with  it  some  of  his  best 
troops.  That  night  the  bombardment  of  Olmutz 
was  terrific;  the  Prussians  were  firing  off  the 
ammunition  they  could  not  take  away  with 
them.  'No  one  slept  in  the  town  or  the  fortress 
264 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

that  night  for  the  hurricane  of  fire  and  flame  that 
blazed  from  the  Prussian  lines.  It  slackened 
toward  daylight,  and  when  the  sun  rose  there  was 
not  a  Prussian  regiment  in  sight.  The  whole 
army  was  on  the  march  for  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains. 


CHAPTER  XII 

The  abandonment  of  the  siege  of  Olmutz  and 
the  success  of  the  Battle  of  the  Wagons  raised  to 
a  high  pitch  the  spirits  of  the  Austrian  armj. 
Marshal  Daun  even  departed  so  far  from  his  usual 
extreme  caution  as  to  follow  Frederick,  who  re- 
treated through  the  mountains,  and  took  up  his 
post  upon  his  own  side  of  them.  But  he  was  not 
suffered  to  remain  in  peace,  and  was  continually 
harassed  by  the  Austrian  cavalry  and  the  clouds 
of  Pandours,  who  followed  and  hung  upon  him. 

To  be  of  Loudon's  corps  was  enough  to  say  that 
the  summer  was  one  of  incessant  movement  to 
Gavin  Hamilton  and  St.  Arnaud.  Both  of  them 
were,  however,  of  so  much  natural  activity,  that 
nothing  could  have  suited  them  better  than  the 
constant  marching,  manoeuvring,  and  fighting  of 
the  summer  of  1758.  It  was  a  particularly  cool 
and  healthful  summer,  and  in  spite  of  hard  work 
and  soldier's  fare,  both  of  them  grew  more  robust 
than  ever. 

266 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

For  Gavin,  it  was  a  time  as  nearly  free  from 
care  and  sorrow  as  often  comes  on  this  planet.  He 
had  got  his  promotion,  and  blossomed  forth  as  a 
full  lieutenant.  He  ardently  loved  the  soldier's 
life ;  he  appreciated  greatly  his  extreme  good  for- 
tune, and  although  he  had  but  little  money,  he 
required  but  little  while  the  campaign  lasted.  It 
is  true  he  was  beginning  to  acquire  tastes  very 
much  above  the  rigid  poverty  in  which  he  had  been 
reared,  and  sometimes  thought  rather  ruefully  of 
the  slenderness  of  his  pay  if  he  should  be  in  Vien- 
na the  next  winter,  which  he  ardently  hoped  he 
would.  But  with  the  joyous  carelessness  of  youth, 
he  considered  it  settled  that  as  soon  as  he  was 
twenty-one,  which  would  be  in  December,  he  would 
demand  his  mother's  recognition  by  his  father,  and 
force  Sir  Gavin  to  make  Lady  Hamilton  a  hand- 
some allowance.  Gavin  did  not  trouble  himself 
very  much  with  the  details  and  difficulties  of  this 
brilliant  scheme,  but  only  figured  out  how  he  would 
manage  to  live  when  it  would  be  no  longer  neces- 
sary for  him  to  divide  his  scanty  pay  with  his 
mother.  He  sometimes  talked  about  it  to  St.  Ar- 
naud,  but  St.  Arnaud  could  enlighten  him  very 
little  as  to  his  rights  under  the  English  laws. 
However,  it  is  very  easy  at  twenty,  with  health  and 
267 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

strength  and  an  officer's  commission  and  a  good 
horse,  to  throw  future  perplexities  to  the  winds. 
This  was  what  Gavin  Hamilton  did.  He  was 
made  happy  by  frequent  letters  from  his  mother, 
who  always  wrote  cheerfully,  and  to  whom,  Gavin 
knew,  her  present  time  of  rest  and  peace  and  hope 
was  blessed.  To  live  upon  a  little  money,  and  to 
spend  a  part  of  every  day  in  teaching  Freda  and 
Gretchen,  was  no  hardship  to  one  who  had  known 
Lady  Hamilton's  sad  vicissitudes.  Unlike  Gavin, 
she  did  not  look  for  any  redress  from  Sir  Gavin 
Hamilton  for  a  long  time  to  come.  'Not  until 
Gavin  himself  had  reached  maturity  and  consid- 
erable rank  did  she  think  he  would  be  able  to  enter 
into  a  contest  for  his  rights ;  but  it  was  enough  for 
her  to  know  that  she  was  at  last  recognized  as  Sir 
Gavin  Hamilton's  lawful  wife,  and  that  Gavin 
was  tacitly  allowed  the  position  that  was  his  by 
every  right. 

In  August  the  battle  of  Zorndorf  had  been 
fought,  in  which  Frederick  had  very  handsomely 
beaten  the  Russians  under  General  Fermor,  and 
Marshal  Daun,  with  his  usual  caution,  had  fallen 
back  behind  Dresden  to  Stolpen,  where  he  took  up, 
as  always,  a  strong  position.  There,  for  four 
weeks,  he  faced  Frederick,  and  withstood  much 
268 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

provocation  to  do  battle,  knowing  that  every  day 
Frederick's  supplies  were  getting  shorter,  and  the 
longer  the  battle  was  delayed  the  worse  the  case 
of  the  King  of  Prussia. 

Loudon's  corps  had  the  extreme  outpost,  and 
barred  the  road  to  Bautzen,  where  the  Prussians 
had  their  magazines  of  food  and  ammunition. 
During  all  the  month  of  September  there  was  con- 
tinual manoeuvring  and  fighting  for  this  road  to 
Bautzen.  But  General  Loudon  managed  to  dis- 
pose of  all  whom  Frederick  sent  against  him,  until 
one  October  day,  Frederick  himself,  with  his  whole 
force,  took  up  his  march  for  Bautzen.  Then  there 
was  great  commotion  in  the  whole  Austrian  army, 
and  in  Loudon's  corps  especially.  There  was  much 
riding  to  and  fro  in  the  mountain  roads  and  passes, 
quick  mustering  of  the  grenadiers,  but  it  was 
known  tolerably  early  that  the  movement  was  one 
in  force,  and  that  General  Loudon  could  by  no 
means  stop  it,  and  could  only  harass  and  delay  it, 
which  was  done  with  a  will.  But  by  sunset  the 
attempt  was  given  over,  and  it  was  seen  that  the 
next  move  in  the  game  must  be  by  Marshal  Daun 
with  his  whole  army. 

Toward  night,  as  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  were 
making  ready  to  bivouac  with  their  men.  General 
269 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

Loudon  and  his  staff  rode  by.  The  general  stopped 
and  beckoned  to  Gavin. 

"  Your  horse  appears  to  be  fresh,"  said  he,  "  and 
I  wish  to  send  a  last  dispatch  to  Marshal  Daun  to- 
night. Take  a  small  escort,  and  carry  this  to  Stol- 
pen  as  quickly  as  possible.  You  should  be  able  to 
bring  me  a  reply  before  daylight  to-morrow  morn- 
ing. Marshal  Daun  will  provide  you  with  fresh 
horses ;  "  and  tearing  a  leaf  out  of  his  pocket-book, 
and  using  his  hat  for  a  writing-desk,  he  scribbled 
a  few  lines  in  pencil,  addressed  them  to  Marshal 
Daun,  and  rode  on. 

It  did  not  take  Gavin  five  minutes  to  mount  and 
be  off,  with  a  couple  of  troopers  trotting  behind 
him.  The  night  was  falling,  and  it  grew  dark  in 
the  mountain  fastnesses;  but  so  much  had  Gavin 
and  his  men  ridden  over  those  tortuous  and  rocky 
roads  in  the  last  few  weeks,  that  not  only  they, 
but  their  horses,  knew  the  way  perfectly.  They 
rode  on  steadily,  occasionally  meeting  with  return- 
ing couriers;  but  by  nine  o^clock  they  seemed  to 
be  the  only  travellers  on  the  road.  They  were  pass- 
ing through  a  dense  woodland,  hemmed  in  on  each 
side  of  the  road  by  rocky  walls,  when  suddenly  a 
small  party  of  men  appeared  in  their  path,  swiftly 
and  silently,  as  shadows  rising  from  the  earth. 
270    - 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Gavin  had  no  apprehension  of  an  enemy,  and  sup- 
posed he  was  meeting  a  belated  party  of  Austrians. 
This  was  confirmed  when  the  person,  apparently 
an  ofiicer,  at  the  head  of  the  number,  rode  up  to 
Gavin,  and  said : 

"  I  presume  that  you  are  an  officer,  and  going 
toward  Stolpen." 

"  You  are  right,"  answered  Gavin,  trying  to 
make  out  in  the  half  darkness  the  uniform  of  the 
person  addressing  him. 

"  Then,  may  I  ask  you  to  deliver  a  letter  to 
Marshal  Daun  ?  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  say  from 
whom  it  is,  but  it  will  be  a  favour  to  Marshal  Daun 
if  you  can  contrive  it  into  his  hands." 

Gavin  hesitated  for  a  moment  as  the  stranger 
drew  a  letter  from  his  breast;  and  then,  to 
Gavin's  infinite  surprise,  threw  the  letter  on  the 
ground,  and  the  whole  party  galloped  oif.  One 
of  Gavin's  troopers,  dismounting,  picked  the  letter 
up,  and  striking  his  flint,  the  address  was  easily 
read.  It  was  to  his  Excellency,  Field-Marshal 
Daun. 

Then  followed  a  correct  enumeration  of  Marshal 
Daun's  titles  and  honours.  And  at  the  very  first 
glance  Gavin  recognized  the  handwriting  of  Fred- 
erick of  Prussia.  To  make  sure,  he  took  from  his 
271 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

breast  pocket  the  treasured  memorandum,  which  he 
always  carried,  that  Frederick  had  given  him  the 
night  of  their  adventure  at  Breslau.  Yes,  it  was 
impossible  to  mistake  that  handwriting,  and  there 
was  not  the  smallest  attempt  to  disguise  it  on  the 
mysterious  letter.  Gavin  returned  both  to  his 
safest  pocket,  and  rode  on  steadily. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  and  his  two 
troopers  clattered  into  the  camp  at  Stolpen.  He 
was  at  once  shown  to  Marshal  Daun's  headquar- 
ters, a  peasant's  hut,  in  which  a  light  was  burning 
and  a  couple  of  hard-worked  aides-de-camp  were 
busy  at  a  writing-table. 

"  The  marshal  has  just  gone  into  the  inner  room, 
but  left  orders  that  he  should  be  aroused  at  once, 
should  any  dispatches  come  from  General  Loudon," 
said  one  of  them. 

The  marshal,  however,  saved  them  the  trouble, 
for,  hearing  voices  in  the  outer  room,  he  appeared 
at  the  rude  door  that  separated  the  rooms.  He  had 
lain  down  wrapped  in  his  cloak,  and  it  still  hung 
about  him. 

Politely  motioning  Gavin  to  sit,  he  opened  and 
read  General  Loudon's  dispatch,  and  promptly  dic- 
tated a  reply  to  his  aide.     When  that  was  done, 
Gavin    handed    him    the    mysterious    letter    he 
272 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

had  received,  briefly  recounting  the  circumstances 
under  which  he  received  it. 

Marshal  Daun  read  it  attentively,  and  then,  lay- 
ing it  down  on  the  table,  said  with  a  puzzled  air : 

"  This  is  very  strange.  This  letter  appears  to 
be  a  reply  to  a  letter  I  wrote  General  Fermor  be- 
fore the  battle  of  Zorndorf,  warning  him  against 
rashly  engaging  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  express- 
ing my  high  opinion  of  the  King  as  a  military 
man.  I  have  had  no  word  of  reply  to  it  until  now, 
and  this  letter  is  not  in  General  Fermor's  hand- 
writing.   I  will  read  it  to  you. 

"  '  Your  Excellency  was  in  the  right  to  warn  me 
against  a  cunning  enemy  whom  you  knew  better 
than  I.  Here  have  I  tried  fighting  him  and  got 
beaten.     Your  unfortunate  Fermoe.'  " 

Gavin,  taking  Frederick's  letter  from  his  pocket, 
silently  laid  it  before  the  marshal,  and  Marshal 
Daun,  after  reading  it,  passed  it  over  to  his  aides. 
A  universal  grin  went  around,  not  even  excepting 
the  grave  and  ceremonious  field-marshal,  at  poor 
General  Fermor's  expense. 

"Well,"  said  Marshal  Daun,  after  a  moment, 
"  the  King  of  Prussia  is  entitled  to  his  pleasantry. 
And  I  am  sincerely  glad  he  knows  that  I  am  in- 
capable of  one  of  the  greatest  faults  of  a  soldier — 

273 
18 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

underrating  the  enemy.  I  ever  considered  that 
king,  since  first  I  had  the  honour  of  fighting  him, 
as  one  of  the  great  masters  of  the  art  of  war,  and 
I  have  no  o];)jection  to  his  knowing  it.  General 
Fermor  did  not  know  it,  and  behold,  he  was  beaten 
at  Zorndorf." 

There  was  no  time  to  be  lost  in  returning,  and 
fresh  horses  being  already  provided,  within  half 
an  hour  Gavin  was  on  his  way  back  to  General 
Loudon.  As  he  rode  along  in  the  darkness,  and 
then  in  the  gray  dawn,  he  could  not  help  laughing 
at  Frederick's  grim  humour.  Clearly,  he  had  taken 
some  trouble  to  get  his  reply  conveyed  to  Marshal 
Daun,  and  Gavin  had  no  doubt  that  the  troopers 
who  had  delivered  it  to  him  were  really  Prussians, 
disguised.  By  daylight  he  had  got  to  General  Lou- 
don's headquarters,  and  after  delivering  his  dis- 
patches went  to  the  hut  of  boughs  in  which  St. 
Arnaud  and  himself  spread  their  blankets.  He 
was  very  tired,  but  before  lying  down  to  sleep  he 
told  St.  Arnaud  about  the  King  of  Prussia's  letter. 

"  How  like  the  elfish  nature  of  the  man !  "  was 
St.  Arnaud's  comment. 

The  utmost  activity  prevailed  in  the  Austrian 
ranks  after  Frederick's  escape,  and  it  became 
known  through  that  telepathy  which  anticipates 
274 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

great  events  that  a  general  engagement  was  im- 
pending; and  when  on  the  night  of  the  5th  of 
October,  in  the  midst  of  a  drenching  rain,  wild 
wind,  and  pitch  darkness,  the  whole  Austrian  army 
abandoned  Stolpen,  and  took  up  its  march  for  Kitt- 
litz,  a  strong  position  east  of  Bautzen  and  of  Hoch- 
kirch,  around  which  was  collected  the  whole  of  the 
King  of  Prussia's  army,  all  knew  that  the  hour 
was  at  hand. 

So  secretly  was  this  done,  that,  although  it  was 
known  that  the  Austrian  army  was  on  the  move, 
it  was  with  the  greatest  surprise  that,  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  10th  of  October,  Frederick,  reaching 
Hochkirch,  found  Marshal  Daun  securely  estab- 
lished with  ninety  thousand  men  in  lines  many 
miles  long  on  the  woody  heights  that  surround  the 
hill  upon  which  the  village  of  Hochkirch — of  im- 
mortal memory — stands.  Frederick  had  but  his 
forty  thousand,  and  the  amazement  of  the  Aus- 
trians  was  as  great  as  their  delight  when  they  saw 
this  mighty  captain,  usually  so  wise  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  his  armies,  walk  into  a  ring  encircled  by 
his  enemies,  and  then  quietly  sit  down  before  them. 

A  part  of  Loudon's  corps  was  encamped  on  a 
wooded  crest,  the  Czarnabog,  or  Devil's  Mountain, 
as  the  village  people  called  it,  and  among  them 
275 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

was  the  regiment  of  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin.  It 
was  a  lovely,  still,  autumn  afternoon  when  the  two, 
standing  together  at  the  highest  point  of  the  moun- 
tain, saw  the  mass  of  Prussians  coming  into  sight 
on  the  opposing  heights,  divided  only  by  the  Lo- 
bau  water,  and  the  many  streams  and  brooks  that 
go  to  make  up  the  Spree.  As  it  became  plain  that 
the  dark  masses  of  approaching  men  were  Prus- 
sians, St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin,  standing  in  a  group 
of  other  officers,  could  not  conceal  their  surprise. 

"  This  king  must  be  mad,"  said  St.  Arnaud. 
Gavin  nodded,  and  continued  to  watch  the  Prus- 
sians, as  a  post  for  several  thousand  of  them  was 
being  marked  out  not  half  a  mile  distant  from  the 
heights,  dense  with  trees,  where  thousands  of  Aus- 
trians,  with  several  batteries  of  heavy  guns,  were 
placed. 

]N^umbers  of  Prussian  officers  were  seen  moving 
about  as  the  various  regiments  marched  in,  and 
at  last  a  group  on  horseback  appeared,  in  which 
was  a  figure  that  St.  Arnaud  and  Gavin  instantly 
recognized  without  glasses.  Worn,  thin,  and  wiz- 
ened as  he  was,  Frederick  of  Prussia  was  ever  an 
imposing  figure.  All  who  saw  that  slight,  pale 
man,  shabbily  dressed,  but  splendidly  mounted, 
riding  nonchalantly  into  the  view  of  tens  of  thou- 
276 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

sands  of  men,  were  thrilled  at  the  sight  of  him. 
Here  was  one  of  the  world's  masters  and  dictators. 
Beaten  he  might  be,  he  was  never  conquered ;  less 
in  force  than  his  enemy,  he  was  always  dangerous ; 
with  but  a  thousand  men  behind  him,  he  could 
yet  keep  his  enemies  awake  at  night.  He  rode  to 
the  edge  of  the  plateau  on  which  the  village  is  built, 
and  surveyed  the  long  lines  of  his  enemies  drawn 
up  for  many  miles  in  the  woods,  and  hills,  and  hol- 
lows close  by.  The  sun  was  sinking  in  a  blaze  of 
glory,  and  its  mellow  light  fell  upon  a  landscape 
singularly  beautiful.  In  a  long,  deep  valley  ran  a 
rapid  and  musical  stream,  with  many  branches. 
White  villages  nestled  among  the  hills,  and  the 
blue  air  was  pierced  by  slender  church  steeples. 
A  thin  haze,  from  many  thousands  of  camp-fires, 
enveloped  the  valleys  in  mysterious  beauty,  and 
the  white  tents,  in  tens  of  thousands,  lay  like  snow- 
flakes  on  the  still  green  earth.  'No  eye  noted  this, 
though,  as  long  as  Frederick  of  Prussia  remained 
in  sight,  his  slight,  compact  figure  on  his  horse 
silhouetted  against  the  evening  sky.  Suddenly 
from  the  wooded  heights,  directly  in  front  of  him, 
a  flash  and  a  roar  burst  forth,  and  twenty  Aus- 
trian cannon-balls  ploughed  up  the  ground.  The 
King's  horse  stood  motionless — ^the  charger  that 
277 


THE   LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

carried  Frederick  the  Great  must  needs  be  used 
to  cannon  and  musketry  fire — and  Frederick  him- 
self, without  changing  his  position,  put  his  field- 
glass  to  his  eyes,  and  coolly  surveyed  the  scene. 
A  dozen  officers  galloped  toward  him,  but  Freder- 
ick with  a  gesture  motioned  them  away.  Five  min- 
utes of  perfect  silence  followed.  Of  the  thousands 
who  beheld  him,  every  man  held  his  breath;  and 
when  a  second  round  roared  out,  a  kind  of  univer- 
sal groan  and  shudder  ran  like  electricity  through 
the  watching  multitudes.  This  time  it  threw  some 
earth  upon  the  King,  and  then,  calmly  dusting  it 
off,  he  turned  and  rode  toward  the  village  church. 
Ten  minutes  after,  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  eagerly 
watching,  he  appeared  upon  the  little  belfry.  Tv/i- 
light  was  falling,  though,  and  it  was  no  longer  pos- 
sible to  see  clearly.  Lights  were  twinkling,  and 
the  blaze  of  the  camp-fires  became  lurid  in  the  fall- 
ing darkness.  In  a  little  while  silence  but  for  the 
sentry's  tread,  and  darkness  but  for  the  camp-fires 
burning  through  the  chill  autumn  night,  had  set- 
tled down  upon  the  scene. 

The  next  morning  rose  clear  and  beautiful,  and 

daylight  only  showed  more  plainly  the  extreme 

danger  of  Frederick's  position.     It  was  known, 

however,  through  spies,  that  it  would  be  impossi- 

278 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

l)le  for  him  to  leave  for  several  days,  owing  to  a 
lack  of  provisions  and  ammunition  upon  any  road 
that  he  might  take.  The  Austrians  wished  to  lull 
him  into  security,  and  three  days  were  spent  in 
what  seemed  to  the  Prussians  preparations  to  de- 
fend themselves  on  the  part  of  the  Austrians.  The 
air  resounded' with  thousands  of  axes  hewing  trees, 
to  form  abatis ;  slight  earthworks  were  thrown  up, 
and  Marshal  Daun  gave  every  sign  of  preparing  to 
defend  himself  rather  than  to  attack.  He  even 
continued  to  have  false  information  sent  Frederick, 
that  the  Austrians  were  preparing  to  fall  back  on 
Zittau.  But  at  nightfall,  on  Friday,  the  13th  of 
October,  thirty  thousand  Austrians  stole  away, 
leaving  their  camp-fires  brightly  burning,  and  en- 
closing Frederick  on  the  only  side  he  had  been 
free,  rendered  his  escape  impossible,  except  by 
cutting  his  way  through. 

St.  Arnaud's  and  Gavin^s  regiment  were  kept 
concealed  in  the  DeviFs  Mountains.  Wild  beyond 
expression  were  these  hills,  with  vast  boulders, 
black  hollows,  trees  standing  so  close  that  daylight 
scarcely  penetrated,  and  tangled  thickets.  In  these 
dark  hills  three  thousand  men  were  easily  hidden. 
Through  these  thick  wildernesses  were  cut  roads 
for  the  ammunition  wagons. 
279 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

The  night  of  the  13th  of  October  was  moonless 
and  starless.  The  fair  days  preceding  had  been 
followed  by  a  day  of  dun  clouds  and  brown  fog. 
During  the  dark  and  rainy  night,  when  the  silent 
movement  of  thirty  thousand  Austrians,  under 
Marshal  Daun  himself,  had  taken  place,  the  three 
thousand  grenadiers  and  light  troops  of  Loudon's 
corps,  encamped  in  the  Devil's  Mountains,  had 
peacefully  spent  the  night.  At  four  o'clock  they 
were  to  be  called  by  their  officers,  without  blare  of 
the  trumpet;  and  when  the  clock  in  the  belfry  of 
the  village  church  of  Llochkirch  struck  five  they 
were  to  fall  upon  the  Prussians.  Gavin  and  St. 
Arnaud,  having  to  be  awake  early,  did  not  sit  up 
late,  but  wrapped  in  their  cloaks,  with  their  sad- 
dles for  pillows,  lay  down  before  a  roaring  fire, 
which  was  to  be  kept  up  all  night,  and  were  soon 
asleep. 

At  three  o'clock  St.  Arnaud  rose.  It  was  pitch 
dark  but  for  the  ruddy  blaze  of  the  fire  still  burn- 
ing, and  a  cold,  brown  mist  hid  everything  from 
sight  except  the  ring  of  light  from  the  fire.  Gavin 
was  still  sleeping — ^he  always  slept  until  he  was 
roused. 

The  orderly  was  already  preparing  something 
savoury  in  an  iron  pan,  and  when  it  was  ready  St. 
280 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Arnaud  gave  Gavin  a  vigorous  shake,  which 
brought  him  to  his  feet  at  once.  Without  losing 
a  moment  he  fell  to  upon  the  contents  of  the  pan ; 
for  there  was  no  hour  of  the  day  or  night  that 
Gavin  Hamilton  was  not  ready  to  eat  and  to  fight. 

"  Bad  for  the  Prussians,  this  fog,"  he  said  be- 
tween mouthfuls  of  bacon  and  cheese. 

"  Very,"  laconically  replied  St.  Arnaud,  who 
was  not  half  the  trencher-man  that  Gavin  was. 

Their  horses  were  already  fed  and  saddled,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  they  were  on  horseback,  going 
through  the  ranks  of  soldiers,  who  were  munch- 
ing their  breakfasts  while  the  horses  munched  their 
hay. 

At  half-past  four  o'clock,  when  it  was  still  per- 
fectly dark,  the  Austrians  were  ready  and  ranked 
and  waiting  for  the  church  clock  to  toll  ^ve.  It 
seemed  a  long  wait,  and  St.  Arnaud  noticed  Gavin 
blinking  his  eyes  with  sleep  as  he  sat  on  his  horse. 
Presently,  through  the  white  mist  which  wrapped 
the  world  for  them,  echoed  five  delicate,  light 
strokes  of  the  clock  on  the  village  hill,  and  im- 
mediately after  the  silvery  sound  of  the  Prussian 
bugles  sounded  faintly  through  the  fog. 

And  then  came  a  sudden  deafening  roar  of  ar- 
tillery, a  crashing  of  musketry  from  many  thou- 
281 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

sand  musk,ets,  and  in  an  instant  of  time  the  Prus- 
sians were  surrounded  by  a  ring  of  fire  -^ve  miles 
in  circumference. 

By  that  time  St.  Arnaud's  and  Gavin'^  regi- 
ment was  picking  its  way  out  of  the  woods,  toward 
the  village  of  Winschke,  where  it  was  to  support 
the  grenadiers.  As  they  came  into  the  open 
country  the  impenetrable  mist  lay  over  the  whole 
earth ;  but  it  was  lighted  up  at  every  moment,  and 
in  a  vast  circle,  by  the  blaze  of  gunpowder.  Across 
the  valley,  by  the  constant  flashes  they  could  see 
great  masses  of  Austrian  cavalry  dashing  them- 
selves upon  the  Prussian  infantry,  which  was  com- 
pletely surprised.  The  Prussians  in  the  village 
were  awake,  too,  and  the  Austrians  were  pouring 
in  upon  them.  The  thunder  of  the  artillery,  the 
sharp  crash  of  musketry,  the  shouts  and  cries, 
rang  through  the  hills  and  valleys,  where  a  hun- 
dred and  thirty  thousand  men  were  fighting. 

It  was  trying  work,  standing  still  at  the  brow 
of  the  hill,  waiting  for  the  word  to  charge  down  the 
hill,  ford  the  little  river,  and  up  the  steep  incline 
to  the  village.  All  around  them  was  fighting — 
masses  of  Austrians,  horse  and  foot,  throwing 
themselves  upon  the  Prussians,  who  were  out- 
numbered two  to  one,  but  making  a  stiif  de- 
282 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

fence  and  commanded  by  the  greatest  captain  of 
tlie  age. 

"  I  wonder  what  kind  of  a  humour  the  King  was 
in  this  morning  when  he  was  waked  by  our  pound- 
ing him  ?  "  asked  Gfavin  of  St.  Arnaud. 

"  He  was  not  waked,  that  you  may  depend  upon. 
He  was  no  doubt  up  and  on  horseback  by  five 
o'clock.  But  his  headquarters  are  two  miles  away, 
and  it  must  have  taken  him  some  little  time  to 
form  a  plan  of  defence,  for  he  could  not  tell  at 
first  that  he  was  being  attacked  on  all  sides  at 
once." 

"  It  is  said  that  when  Marwitz,  his  adjutant, 
was  called  upon  to  mark  off  the  post  Tuesday  even- 
ing, he  flatly  refused  to  do  it,  saying  he  would 
have  no  part  in  marking  off  a  post  so  dangerous, 
and  the  King  promptly  ordered  him  under  arrest." 

"  He  was  to  get  away  from  here  this  afternoon, 
only  Marshal  Daun  was,  for  once,  beforehand  with 
him — a — a — ah !  "  for  at  this  a  Prussian  bat- 
tery wheeled  in  front  of  them  and  opened  up  with 
vigour. 

"  Forward !  "  rang  out,  and  the  regiment  moved 
as  if  on  parade,  the  trot  dowTi  hill  increasing  to  a 
gallop  up  the  'hill,  after  they  had  crossed  the 
stream. 

283 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

From  that  on  Gavin  saw  nothing  of  the  battle 
except  the  furious  melee  just  around  him.  The 
Prussians  held  the  village  stubbornly,  and  with  a 
battery  of  artillery  and  a  few  regiments  of  infan- 
try stood  like  rocks,  while  the  Austrians  poured  in- 
fantry and  cavalry  upon  them.  Gavin,  at  the  head 
of  his  troop,  dashed  again  and  again  at  the  Prus- 
sian lines,  only  to  be  repulsed.  He  heard  himself 
as  in  a  dream  shouting: 

"  Come  on !  Their  ammunition  can't  last  for- 
ever !  " 

And  as  the  Austrians  came  on,  an  endless,  steady 
stream,  never  ceasing,  he  saw  riding  out  of  the 
mist,  which  was  slowly  melting  before  the  rising 
sun,  the  figure  of  the  King  of  Prussia.  He  dashed 
among  the  struggling  Prussian  infantry,  and  as  if 
by  magic  a  line  of  bayonets  was  formed  around 
him,  against  which  the  Austrians  threw  themselves 
like  an  avalanche  of  fire  and  steel.  Then  came  a 
Titanic  struggle,  men,  guns,  and  horses  inextric- 
ably mixed,  no  man  having  time  to  load  and  fire, 
but  steel  to  steel,  sabres  and  bayonets,  and  a  fear- 
ful and  hideous  din  drowning  the  roar  of  cannon 
and  shriek  of  musketry.  !N"o  man  asked  or  gave 
quarter,  but  with  powder-blackened  faces  and  grim 
eyes  and  distorted  features  sought  death  or  gave  it. 
284 


or  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

It  lasted  a  short  ten  minutes,  but  it  seemed 
hours.  Gavin  Hamilton,  in  the  midst  of  it,  whirl- 
ing his  sabre  like  a  flail,  found  himself,  he  knew 
not  how,  on  the  ground,  with  his  riderless  horse 
plunging  wildly  near  him,  a  forest  of  Austrian 
bayonets  behind  him,  and  a  steady  line  of  Prussian 
steel  in  front  of  him.  Sometimes  that  line 
wavered,  sometimes  it  broke,  but  it  always  formed 
again.  And  suddenly  the  line  of  glittering  steel 
parted  for  a  moment,  and  he  saw  the  King  of  Prus- 
sia for  one  moment  erect  on  his  horse,  and  the  next 
the  horse  staggered  and  fell,  and  Gavin,  running 
forward,  with  his  strong  left  arm  seized  Frederick 
by  the  arm,  shrieking : 

"  You  took  me  prisoner  once ;  now  it  is  my 
turn !  " 

Their  eyes  met  for  one  brief  instant,  and  the 
glance  that  Frederick  gave  him  made  Gavin  for- 
get the  battle,  the  uproar,  the  danger — all,  except 
those  steel-blue  eyes,  sparkling  with  the  light  of 
battle;  that  slight,  wiry  figure,  with  one  uplifted 
arm,  and  the  singular  music  of  that  voice,  ringing 
out  above  the  shouting  and  the  clash  of  arms : 

"  Not  yet !    Not  yet !  " 

The  ancient  Germans  represented  their  god  of 
war  as  huge,  blonde,  and  bearded ;  Gavin  Hamil- 
285 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

ton  would  have  said  that  Frederick  of  Prussia, 
unhorsed,  defeated,  and  almost  captured,  was  the 
ideal  of  the  lord  of  battles. 

In  another  moment  a  regiment  of  Prussian  hus- 
sars appeared  as  if  they  had  sprung  out  of  the 
ground,  their  horses  plunging  over  every  obstacle, 
their  sabres  flashing  right  and  left ;  and  encircling 
the  King,  he  was  swept  out  of  sight  like  magic.  It 
was  over  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye — one  instant 
Gavin  had  Frederick  by  the  arm,  looking  into  his 
blue  and  blazing  eyes ;  the  next  instant  there  was 
a'  trampling  of  iron  hoofs,  a  flashing  of  steel,  a 
torrent  of  men,  and  Gavin  had  dropped  to  his 
knees  without  so  much  as  feeling  a  blow.  Only 
everything  grew  suddenly  indistinct  and  far  away, 
and  then  he  knew  no  more. 

It  seemed  to  him  but  another  instant  before  he 
revived,  perfectly  alive  to  everything,  but  it  was 
strangely  quiet  after  the  fierce  confusion  of  the 
last  charge.  There  was  still  fighting  going  on,  but 
it  was  far  at  the  other  end  of  the  village,  and  else- 
where it  seemed  to  be  quite  over.  He  opened  his 
eyes,  and  glanced  upward;  the  mist  was  rolling 
off  the  valleys,  and  the  sun,  shining  in  unclouded 
splendour,  was  high  in  the  heavens.  It  must  be  at 
least  nine  o'clock,  thought  Gavin,  and  he  knew  it 
286 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

was  not  more  than  six  when  the  order  to  charge 
was  given.  He  concluded  that  he  had  been  knocked 
on  the  head  by  a  Prussian  musket  or  a  horse's 
hoof.  Glancing  around  again,  he  saw  himself  in 
a  pool  of  blood.  A  dozen  men  lay  in  ghastly  at- 
titudes near  him,  and  within  touch  of  his  hand 
was  a  dead  horse.  Gavin  recognized  the  horse — it 
was  the  one  ridden  by  the  King  of  Prussia. 

He  grew  faint  presently,  and  concluded  it  was 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  horse ;  he  tried  to  get  up 
and  walk  away,  which  he  failed  to  accomplish,  and 
knew  no  more.  When  he  next  came  to  himself,  he 
was  lying  in  a  little  cart  jolting  along  the  road,  and 
his  head  was  aching  miserably.  He  was  in  the 
open  country,  and  the  stars  were  shining  overhead. 
It  was  very  cold,  and  St.  Arnaud  was  holding  his 
head  and  trying  to  wrap  him  the  better  in  cloaks. 
Gavin  made  quite  sure  before  he  spoke;  then  he 
said : 

"  St.  Arnaud,  is  the  King  of  Prussia  a  pris- 
oner ?  " 

"  No.  As  well  try  to  take  the  devil  prisoner 
as  that  man." 

A  pause. 

"  But  for  the  wound  in  my  head  I  could  have 
done  it.    I  had  my  hand  on  him." 
287 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  It  would  take  ten  thousand  men  like  you  to 
carry  off  that  Frederick  of  Prussia.  The  Prussian 
hussars  did  for  you  and  the  rest  of  our  poor  fel- 
lows very  handsomely." 

"  Yes ;  this  wound  in  my  head  " — 

"  You  have  no  wound  in  your  head." 

^'  But  I  have,  I  tell  you.  It  makes  me  suffer 
terribly." 

"  The  wound  is  in  your  leg.  It  is  broken,  but 
the  surgeons  have  set  it,  and  I  am  taking  you  to 
Zittau.  There  you  can  be  treated,  and  I  shall 
return  to  the  regiment." 

"  Y'es ;  it  is  in  my  leg ;  I  know  it  now.  Did  I 
lose  my  sword  ?  " 

"  ITo ;  you  were  holding  it  tightly  when  I  found 
you." 

^^  So  you  came  to  look  after  me  ? " 

''  Certainly.  Everything  was  over,  and  what 
was  left  of  the  Prussians  in  full  retreat  before  ten 
o'clock." 

"  Are  the  Prussians  really  beaten  ?  " 

"  As  much  as  they  ever  are.  Frederick  will  be 
up  and  at  us  again  in  a  month  as  if  he  had  never 
been  beaten  at  all.  But  he  has  lost  Marshal  Keith. 
The  marshaFs  body  was  found  among  a  heap 
of  slain,  watched  by  a  foot-soldier,  an  Erzglishman, 
288 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

who  had  it  carried  into  the  church.  And  there  Gen- 
eral Lacy  recognized  the  grand  old  marshal.  Gen- 
eral Lacy  wept  at  the  sight.  The  marshal  will  be 
buried  to-morrow  with  full  military  honours,  as  if 
he  were  an  Austrian  marshal,  General  Lacy  acting 
as  chief  mourner.  Frederick  has  no  more  Keiths 
among  his  generals." 

Gavin  broke  out  into  a  cry,  so  terrible  was  the 
jolting  of  the  wagon  upon  his  wounded  leg. 

Presently,  when  he  became  calmer,  he  asked : 

"  Will  my  leg  be  crooked  or  disfigured  in  any 
way  if  I  get  well  ?  " 

"  Pooh !  I  don't  know.  It  is  no  matter,  so  you 
get  well." 

"  But  my  legs  are  very  important  to  me,  at 
least." 

"  You  are  very  vain  of  them.  Well,  I  dare  say 
they  will  be  all  right." 

Hours  of  agony  followed,  and  Gavin  was  not 
of  the  sort  to  endure  pain  silently.  He  moaned 
and  cried  incessantly,  and  St.  Arnaud  comforted 
him  as  a  mother  comforts  a  suffering  child. 

By  daylight  he  was  at  Zittau,  lying  in  a  rude 

bed  in  an  artisan's  house.     St.  Arnaud  stayed  with 

him  a  few  hours,  and  then  was  obliged  to  leave 

him,  but  not  before  sending  an  express  to  Vienna 

289 
19 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

to  Lady  Hamilton,  to  Gavin's  joy  and  relief.  He 
felt,  as  he  lay  in  agonizing  pain  upon  his  hard  bed, 
that  could  he  but  know  his  mother  was  near,  half 
his  suffering  would  be  over. 

Six  days  of  suffering  followed,  suffering  that 
turned  his  ruddy  cheeks  to  a  deathly  pallor,  and 
brought  lines  never  to  be  effaced  in  his  boyish  face. 
He  burned  with  fever,  while  racked  with  anguish, 
and  neither  day  nor  night  brought  him  any  relief. 
The  artisan's  family  were  kind  to  him,  and  he  had 
the  surgical  attention  necessary,  but  Zittau  was 
full  of  wounded  Austrians,  and  all  suffered  hard- 
ships. 

On  the  sixth  evening,  just  as  Gavin  felt  himself 
sinking  into  delirium,  the  door  to  his  little  room 
opened.  He  thought  it  was  the  woman  of  the 
house  coming  to  do  what  little  she  could  for  him ; 
but  oh,  happiness !  it  was  his  mother ;  and  behind 
her  was  thirteen-year-old  Freda,  lugging  a  great 
soft  pillow ;  and  Gavin,  throwing  his  arms  around 
his  mother's  neck  as  she  clasped  him,  sobbed  and 
cried  with  joy  and  pain  as  he  had  not  done  since 
he  was  a  little  lad. 

His  mother,  to  soothe  him,  told  him  the  circum- 
stances of  her  coming  to  him. 

"  As  soon  as  I  had  that  dear  St.  Arnaud's  letter, 
290 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

Madame  Ziska  and  Count  Kalenga  got  tlie  money 
for  my  journey,  and  they  insisted  I  should  not 
start  alone,  and  would  have  me  take  Freda,  who  is 
worth  ten  grown  women  for  helpfulness.  The  Em- 
press Queen  herself  sent  me  a  message,  saying  you 
were  at  Zittau ;  and  Prince  Kaunitz  gave  me  a  let- 
ter enabling  me  to  get  post-horses  anywhere  on  the 
road.  So  here  we  are,  to  stay  until  you  can  be 
moved  to  Vienna.'' 

The  pain  was  no  better  for  many  days,  but  it 
was  incomparably  easier  for  Gavin  to  bear,  with 
his  mother's  tender  ministrations  and  Freda's  un- 
tiring help,  who  was  ever  at  hand  to  do,  with  the 
greatest  intelligence,  whatever  was  to  be  done. 
With  all  of  Gavin's  youth  and  strength,  it  was  yet 
six  weeks  before  he  could  be  moved  to  Vienna  by 
easy  stages.  It  was  not  an  unhappy  six  weeks. 
The  Austrians  were  in  high  spirits,  and  that  was 
of  great  advantage  in  the  convalescence  of  all  the 
wounded.  Gavin  received  early  assurances  of  pro- 
motion and  a  good  command  as  soon  as  the  spring 
campaign  opened.  He,  however,  was  not  a  con- 
spicuously good  patient,  but  rather  the  other  way. 
He  not  only  required  to  be  nursed,  but  to  be  en- 
tertained, and  in  this  last  particular  his  mother's 
natural  gifts  and  accomplishments  were  invaluable. 
291 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

In  return  for  all  that  she  could  do,  however,  Gavin 
would  occasionally  long  for  St.  Arnaud's  charming 
society,  and  was  far  from  polite  in  expressing 
his  wishes.  When  he  grew  intolerable  his  mother 
would  quietly  withdraw,  and  let  him  get  over  his 
fit  of  ill  humour  as  best  he  could.  Little  Freda,  on 
the  contrary,  would  be  more  tender  and  attentive 
the  less  he  deserved  it,  and  rewarded,  rather  than 
punished,  his  spells  of  diabolism. 

When  Gavin  was  able  to  sit  up,  he  found  diver- 
sion in  keeping  up  the  English  lessons  with  Freda 
that  Lady  Hamilton  had  begun.  The  first  sign  of 
his  return  to  his  old  self  was  one  day  when  she 
discovered  that  he  was  teaching  the  innocent  Freda 
the  most  outlandish  pronunciation  of  English 
words,  and  laughing  uproariously  at  her. 

"  I  should  think  a  young  gentleman  who  calls 
his  own  name  Ameeltone  would  try  to  mend  his 
own  pronunciation  instead  of  imposing  on  Freda, 
who  can  say  Hamilton  quite  well,''  was  Lady  Ham- 
ilton's comment. 

In  December,  after  a  slow  journey,  Gavin  found 
himself  in  his  old  quarters  again,  to  the  delight  of 
his  mother  and  his  good  friends.  He  was  not  yet 
able  to  attend  the  Empress  Queen's  levee,  but  an 
aide-de-camp  of  the  Emperor's  had  come  to  make 
292 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

formal  inquiry  concerning  liim  and  to  bring  a  kind 
message  from  the  sovereigns. 

In  December  was  Gavin's  twenty-first  birthday, 
and  to  his  great  delight  he  found  that  St.  Arnaud, 
then  in  winter  quarters  at  Olmutz,  would  come  to 
Vienna  for  a  short  visit  about  that  time.  On  the 
winter  afternoon  that  St.  Arnaud  arrived  Gavin 
threw  aside  his  crutches.  It  was  his  twenty-first 
birthday. 

Madame  Ziska  had  arranged  a  little  feast  for 
them,  and  Lady  Hamilton,  who  had  taken  the  ut- 
most interest  in  it,  had  gone  out  with  Freda  to 
attend  to  some  of  the  preparations.  St.  Arnaud 
arrived  at  five  o'clock,  and  a  few  minutes  after 
Freda  returned  alone,  with  a  letter.  She  ran  up- 
stairs, and  with  a  pale,  scared  face  handed  it  to 
Gavin.    It  ran  thus : 

*'  I  have  this  moment  heard  that  your  father  is 
ill  with  smallpox  and  deserted  by  all  his  servants. 
I  am  going  to  him.  I  forbid  you  to  come  to  the 
house,  from  the  danger  of  infection  not  only  to 
yourself,  but  to  the  family  of  our  friends.  You 
may,  however,  come  to-morrow  morning  and  every 
morning  at  nine  o'clock  to  the  corner  of  the  street, 
and  if  all  goes  well  I  will  be  at  the  middle  window 
293 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

in  the  second  story  with  a  white  handkerchief  in 
my  hand.  If  I  should  never  see  you  again,  be 
always  a  good  man,  and  do  not  cease  to  love  your 
devoted  mother.  M.  Hamiltoit.'' 

Gavin,  weakened  by  his  illness,  fell  back  in  his 
chair,  faint  and  overcome.  St.  Arnaud  had  to  do 
the  questioning  of  little  Freda,  who,  though  much 
frightened,  could  yet  give  a  very  intelligent  ac- 
count of  what  had  happened. 

"  We  were  coming  out  of  a  shop,"  she  said, 
"  when  a  man,  looking  like  a  servant,  came  up  to 
us,  and  catching  Lady  Hamilton  by  the  sleeve, 
begged  her  to  go  to  a  house  not  far  off,  where  he 
said  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  lay  dying  of  smallpox, 
and  quite  alpne.  Lady  Hamilton  trembled  very 
much  at  that,  and  asked  him  why  he  had  deserted 
his  master.  The  man  answered  that  he  had  a  wife 
and  children,  and  when  all  the  other  servants  left 
he  was  afraid  to  stay;  and  then  it  came  out — for 
the  man  did  not  at  first  tell  it — ^that  he  had  left 
Sir  Gavin  the  day  before,  and  had  gone  for  a  doc- 
tor, but  did  not  know  whether  the  doctor  went  to 
Sir  Gavin  or  not.  But  the  man  felt  troubled 
about  his  master,  and  knowing  about  Lady  Hamil- 
ton, had  followed  her  up,  and  watched  for  her  to 
294 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

come  out  of  the  shop.  Then  Lady  Hamilton,  weep- 
ing very  much,  went  back  into  the  shop,  and  wrote 
this  letter,  and  brought  me  to  the  corner  of  our 
street,  and  kissing  me  good-by,  went  off  with  the 
man." 

Gavin  started  up,  crying  out : 

^^  I  must  go  at  once  to  my  mother !  "  but  sank 
back,  exhausted ;  and  St.  Arnaud,  seeing  the  neces- 
sity for  quieting  him,  said : 

"  I  will  go  to  the  house,  which  I  know  well,  and 
try  to  attract  Lady  Hamilton's  attention,  and  per- 
haps I  can  find  out  something." 

He  went  immediately,  and  returned  in  half  an 
hour.  He  found  Gavin  much  agitated,  and  Ma- 
dame Ziska  and  Freda  vainly  trying  to  calm  him. 
The  news  St.  Arnaud  brought  was  not,  however, 
calculated  to  soothe  poor  Gavin. 

"^  I  went  straight  to  the  house — one  of  the  finest 
in  the  court  quarter,"  he  said.  "  It  was  not  neces- 
sary to  know  that  the  house  had  been  hastily  aban- 
doned. Doors  and  even  windows  were  wide  open, 
and  Sir  Gavin's  dog,  a  huge  mastiff,  lay  moaning 
with  hunger  on  the  stairs  of  the  main  entrance,  for 
the  servants  fled  yesterday.  There  was  but  a  soli- 
tary light  in  the  whole  vast  place — I  suppose,  in 
Sir  Gavin's  room.  I  stood  on  the  street  below,  and 
295 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

threw  pebbles  at  a  window,  until  Lady  Hamilton 
appeared  at  tbe  window  of  a  lower  room.  ^  He  is 
very  ill/  she  said,  ^  and  I  believe  wonld  not  have 
lived  through  another  night  had  I  not  come.  He 
is  now  delirious.'  I  asked  her  if  Sir  Gavin's  valet 
had  sent  her  a  doctor.  She  replied  the  doctor  had 
not  yet  come.  At  that  moment  the  doctor  ar- 
rived, on  foot.  I  noticed  that  his  man,  following 
with  his  medicine  case,  was  deeply  pitted  with 
smallpox,  and  I  asked  the  doctor  if,  for  a  hand- 
some consideration,  I  could  engage  this  man  to  as- 
sist Lady  Hamilton,  which  he  agreed  to,  after  mak- 
ing sure  that  Sir  Gavin  was  of  the  rank  and 
position  to  pay  well  for  all  that  was  done  for  him. 
So  that  she  is  now  provided  with  help.  I  remained 
outside  until  Lady  Hamilton  again  appeared  at 
the  window.  She  was  weeping,  and  told  me  the 
doctor  thought  Sir  Gavin  could  hardly  survive 
many  hours." 

"  Why  should  my  mother  weep  for  that  man, 
who  has  made  her  whole  life  wretched ;  and  why — 
ah,  why  should  she  risk  her  life  for  him  ? "  cried 
Gavin,  throwing  himself  about  in  his  chair  in  his 
agony  of  grief  and  alarm. 

"  Because,"  quietly  replied  St.  Arnaud,  "  she 
loves  him  still.  I  have  seen  it  always.  Your 
296 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

mother,  Gavin,  is  one  of  those  faithful  women, 
whose  love  once  given  cannot  be  withdrawn ;  who 
silently  and  patiently  endure  to  the  end,  and  whose 
unshaken  constancy  makes  one  admire  and  despair. 
In  one  moment  of  Sir  Gavin's  danger  she  forgot 
twenty-one  years  of  insults  and  injuries." 

"  I  cannot  understand  it,"  sighed  Gavin. 

"  Nor  can  I.  Only  exalted  souls  like  hers  can. 
But  I  tell  you  a  fact,  which  I  have  seen  in  Lady 
Hamilton's  eyes  ever  since  the  first  moment  I  saw 
her,  that  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  has  never  ceased  to 
be  dear  to  her,  although  her  pride  forbade  her  to 
acknowledge  it.  There  could  be  no  doubt  of  it  to- 
night when,  sobbing  and  trembling,  she  told  me 
that  in  his  delirium  he  raved  of  her  and  his  child 
as  they  were  twenty  years  ago,  and  moaned  that 
his  wife  would  not  come  to  him.  She  sent  you  her 
dearest  love  and  prayers,  and  only  begged,  if  you 
valued  her  happiness,  to  keep  away  from  the  in- 
fection. She  will  talk  to  you  from  the  window,  as 
she  did  to  me;  it  is  some  distance  from  the 
ground." 

The  birthnight  supper  was  a  very  different  af- 
fair from  what  had  been  planned.  Although  all 
tried  to  cheer  Gavin,  and  make  him  hopeful  of  the 
best,  all  of  them  were  oppressed  with  fear.  Lady 
297 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

Hamilton's  life  was  in  jeopardy  every  hour.  Gav- 
in slept  not  at  all  that  night,  and  soon  after  sunrise 
was  standing  with  a  forlorn  face  under  his 
mother's  window.  He  looked  listlessly  at  the 
splendid  fagade,  the  marble  steps,  the  tall,  bronze 
lamps,  all  the  evidences  of  wealth,  and  wondered 
stupidly  at  the  good  and  evil  in  human  nature, 
which  made  all  desert  Sir  Gavin  in  his  hour  of 
direst  need  except  the  one  human  being  he  had 
most  injured. 

i^ot  until  nine  o'clock  did  Lady  Hamilton  ap- 
pear at  the  window. 

"  He  still  lives,"  she  said. 

It  was  in  Gavin's  heart  to  say  that  he  cared  not 
whether  Sir  Gavin  lived  or  died  if  but  she  escaped ; 
but  he  dared  not. 

"  Mother,"  cried  Gavin,  "  I  have  not  slept  since 
your  letter  came,  and  I  have  been  here  since  sun- 
rise." 

".My  poor,  poor  Gavin !  Would  you  break  your 
mother's  heart  by  making  yourself  ill  ?  Go  home 
now,  and  do  not  come  back  until  to-morrow  at 
nine." 

"  Mother,  I  shall  go  mad  if  I  do  not  see  you 
again  this  day.  Let  me  come  at  sunset.  I  will 
come,  and  I  will  stand  on  this  pavement  un- 
298 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

til  you  speak  to  me,  if  it  is  until  to-morrow 
morning.'* 

"  Well,  then,  at  sunset^  dearest." 

Days  of  agonizing  suspense  followed  for  Gavin. 
He  learned  in  that  time  to  know  that,  fearful  as 
bodily  pain  is,  it  is  a  bed  of  roses  to  mental  an- 
guish. All  he  had  suffered  with  his  wounds  was 
nothing  to  what  he  endured  in  those  December 
days  when  his  mother  remained  in  the  infected 
house.  Sir  Gavin,  after  a  week  of  the  extremest 
danger,  began  to  hold  his  own,  and  then  to  gain 
a  little  and  a  little.  This  change  was  plain  in  every 
tone  of  Lady  Hamilton's  voice,  and  in  every  linea- 
ment of  her  pale,  glorified  face.  It  amazed  and 
confounded  Gavin,  but  it  waked  no  jealousy  in  his 
heart.  His  nature  was  too  large,  too  free,  too  lib- 
eral, to  let  a  shade  come  between  his  mother  and 
himself.  He  knew  that  she  had  once  loved  his 
father  well;  and  when  he  came  to  examine  his 
memory  he  could  not  recall  a  single  expression  of 
resentment  she  had  ever  used  against  Sir  Gavin. 
True,  she  had  approved  Gavin  on  each  of  the  two 
occasions  when  he  had  resented  his  father's  treat- 
ment of  her,  but  Gavin  felt  that  in  strict  justice 
she  must  have  approved  him,  and  it  would  have 
been  a  fatal  mistake  for  him  to  have  acted  other- 
299 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

wise.  But  though,  convinced  of  Sir  Gavin's  wick- 
edness of  conduct,  she  could  not  wholly  withdraw 
the  memory  of  her  love,  and  at  the  first  need  of 
her  it  rose  again,  full  of  life  and  vitality. 

It  was  eight  weeks  before  Sir  Gavin  was  entirely 
well  and  it  was  safe  to  enter  the  house.  But  on  a 
bright  and  spring-like  February  day  Gavin  was  to 
be  allowed  to  see  his  mother.  Lady  Hamilton 
had  especially  asked  that  St.  Arnaud  and  Madame 
Ziska  come  with  him.  She  knew  her  own  power 
over  Gavin,  but  she  was  not  quite  sure  of  his  re- 
sistance, and  knowing  well  that  both  of  these  noble 
souls  would  be  on  her  side,  she  thought  it  well  to 
have  them  at  hand. 

Arrived  at  the  house,  a  striking  change  was  vis- 
ible in  its  aspect  from  the  day  that  its  master  lay 
ill  and  deserted  to  the  time  when  he  was  again 
the  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton  of  old.  A  splendidly  liv- 
eried porter  opened  the  great  carved  door,  and 
within  four  powdered  and  silk-stockinged  footmen 
obsequiously  showed  them  into  a  noble  drawing- 
room.  But  Gavin  saw  nothing  except  his  mother, 
flitting  down  the  grand  staircase  as  the  door 
opened ;  and  bounding  up  three  steps  at  the  time, 
he  caught  her  in  his  strong,  young  arms,  and  cov- 
ered her  face  with  kisses.  And  then,  holding  her 
300 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

off  at  arm's  length,  he  studied  her  countenance, 
thinking  to  find  her  thin  and  pallid.  But  instead, 
he  had  never  seen  her  face  so  round,  so  delicately 
rosy,  so  nearly  beautiful.  Lady  Hamilton's  ex- 
amination of  him  was  not  nearly  so  satisfactory. 

*'  My  poor,  poor  Gavin !  "  she  said,  and  tears 
sprung  to  her  eyes.  Gavin  had  not  endured  six 
weeks  of  bodily  pain  and  eight  weeks  of  the  an- 
guish of  fear  without  showing  it. 

After  a  few  grateful  words  to  Madame  Ziska 
and  St.  Arnaud,  Lady  Hamilton  turned  and  said 
with  authority  to  Gavin : 

"  You  will  now  go  with  me  to  your  father's 
room." 

Gavin,  obeying  the  habit  of  years,  went  with  his 
mother  silently.  His  mind  was  in  a  tumult.  He 
had  hated  his  father  very  deeply  ever  since  he  could 
remember,  nor  was  he  capable  of  the  sublime  self- 
forgetfulness  of  his  mother;  for  he  not  only  bit- 
terly resented  his  mother's  injuries,  but  his  own. 
He,  the  son  of  a  man  rich,  powerful,  and  well 
born,  had  spent  his  youth  in  poverty,  in  ignorance 
of  many  things,  in  the  hardship  of  a  private  sol- 
dier's lot.  ISTo ;  he  could  never  forgive  his  father. 
He  was  saying  this  to  himself  when  his  mother 
stopped  before  a  large  door,  and  spoke. 
301 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

"  Sir  Gavin  is  changed — more  changed  than  I 
could  have  believed.  And  this  change  was  not 
brought  about  for  any  advantage  to  be  gained; 
it  is  that,  looking  death  in  the  face,  his  bet- 
ter self  was  heard.  He  told  me  almost  in  the 
first  days  that  he  was  conscious  he  always  yearned 
over  you  as  other  fathers  yearn  over  their  sons, 
and  at  the  very  time  he  tried  to  win  you  from  me 
he  felt  ten  times  the  longing  for  you  when  you 
showed  a  spirit  loyal  to  your  mother.  Sir  Gavin, 
with  all  his  faults,  is  not  the  man  to  miss  the  point 
of  honour,  and  he  respects  that  in  you.  He  says 
often  to  me,  whenever  we  spealc  of  you,  ^  The  boy 
is  no  poltroon.'  " 

"  But  what,  mother,"  asked  Gavin,  firmly,  "  of 
his  treatment  of  you  ?  " 

"  That  is  between  us,  and  with  it  you  have  noth- 
ing to  do,"  replied  Lady  Hamilton,  with  a  flush 
rising  to  her.  face.  ''  It  is  enough  to  know  that  Sir 
Gavin  will  do  all  he  can  to  atone  " — 

^^  Atone !  "  cried  Gavin,  wheeling  around  and 
bringing  his  fist  down  on  the  wainscoting  in  a  burst 
of  rage. 

The  door  opened  noiselessly,   and   Sir  Gavin 
Hamilton,  dreadfully  changed  in  appearance,  but 
with  the  same  indomitable  coolness,  appeared. 
302 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  The  boy  is  right/'  he  said,  turning  to  Lady 
Hamilton.  ^'  Men  talk  of  atonement ;  how  imper- 
fect must  it  ever  be !  This  boy  hates  me ;  it  may 
be  long  before  he  feels  otherwise.  But  for  my- 
self, I  do  not  hate  him,  and  never  hated  him.  I 
should  have  despised  him,  though,  had  he  accepted 
the  conditions  I  offered  him." 

"  Yet  you  offered  them,''  replied  Gavin ;  "  you 
offered  me  anything  and  everything  if  I  would 
abandon  my  mother." 

Sir  Gavin  waved  his  hand  calmly. 

"  That  is  past,"  he  said.  "  She  saved  my  life 
at  the  risk  of  her  own.  I  have  offered  her  the  only 
recompense  possible.  I  will  acknowledge  her  to  be 
my  wife.  Of  course,  in  doing  that,  I  am  con- 
demning my  own  course  for  twenty  years  past. 
Well,  men  sometimes  do  that.  It  is  not  in 
me  to  fall  down  on  my  knees  and  ask  the 
world  to  flagellate  me.  I  make  neither  promises 
nor  professions.  I  only  offer  to  regard  the  imper- 
fect marriage  ceremony  which  united  us  as  per- 
fectly valid.  We  both  acted  in  good  faith.  The 
time  came  when  I  would  have  been  glad  to  have 
been  free  from  the  bond.  I  shall  make  no  further 
effort.  I  cannot,  in  fact,  after  having  received  her  in 
my  house,  and  acknowledged  her  right  to  be  here." 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

It  was  not  gracious,  but,  as  Sir  Gavin  truly  said, 
it  was  not  in  him  to  abase  himself. 

Lady  Hamilton's  reply  was  made  with  the  ut- 
most dignity. 

"  I  ask  nothing  but  the  recognition  of  my  right 
and  my  son's  right.  I  do  not  desire  to  remain  in 
this  house  an  hour  longer  than  is  necessary  to  es- 
tablish the  fact  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  that  I  am 
Lady  Hamilton.  Then  I  shall  go  with  my  son 
and  depend  entirely  upon  him  and  upon  myself. 
He  has  never  yet  failed  me  either  in  respect  or  af- 
fection, and  having  secured  his  right,  I  have  noth- 
ing more  to  ask." 

ISTever  in  all  his  life  had  Gavin  felt  prouder  of 
his  mother  than  at  that  moment.  Even  a  gleam 
of  admiration  came  into  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton's 
cold  eyes.  His  reply  was  more  conciliatory  than 
anything  he  had  yet  said. 

"  I  do  not  feel  I  have  the  right  to  exercise  any 
compulsion  over  you,  madam,  but  I  would  suggest 
that  you  remain  in  my  house  until  I  am  sufficiently 
recovered  to  attend  you  to  the  royal  levee.  That 
will  be  the  simplest  as  well  as  the  most  effective 
method  of  undoing  the  work  of  many  years." 

Lady  Hamilton  bowed  silently,  and  Gavin,  with 
a  formal  inclination  of  the  head  to  his  father,  of- 
304 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

f ered  his  mother  his  arm,  and  they  descended  the 
stairs. 

Sir  Gavin,  with  a  strange  expression  on  his  face, 
watched  them  as  they  descended,  and  when  they 
reached  the  first  landing,  supposing  themselves 
unseen,  mother  and  son  fell  into  each  other's  arms 
and  clung  together.  But  Sir  Gavin  Hamilton 
stood  watching — watching,  while  that  which  did 
duty  for  him  as  a  heart  was  deeply  stirred. 

Below  were  Madame  Ziska  and  St.  Arnaud.  St. 
Arnaud  was  just  saying : 

"I  am  getting  frightened,  they  are  so  quiet; 
Gavin  must  have  thrown  his  father  out  of  the  win- 
dow," when  Lady  Hamilton  and  Gavin  appeared. 

"  What  did  Gavin  do  ? "  anxiously  cried  Ma- 
dame Ziska. 

"All  I  could  have  asked  of  him,"  replied  his 
mother.  She  did  not  say  all  she  could  have  wished. 
She  had  hoped  that  he  would  offer  his  hand  to  his 
father,  but  he  had  not  done  it.  However,  glad  to 
have  gained  so  much  from  him.  Lady  Hamilton 
would  not  be  too  exacting.  And  Madame  Ziska, 
by  way  of  encouraging  Gavin,  said  what  she  did 
not  feel: 

"  What  a  sweet,  forgiving  Gavin  is  it ! "  and 
patted  his  shoulder. 

305 

20 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUEES 

Lady  Hamilton  then  said  simply  that  she  would 
remain  until  after  the  next  levee,  which  she  would 
attend  with  Sir  Gavin. 

"  And  then  you  will  come  back  to  us,"  cried 
Gavin. 

"  If  you  do  not  come  here,''  said  St.  Arnaud, 
out  of  Gavin's  hearing,  and  exchanging  glances 
with  Madame  Ziska. 

Lady  Hamilton  led  them  through  the  splendid 
lower  floor,  the  bewigged  and  bepowdered  footmen 
obsequiously  showing  the  way,  and  at  the  same 
time  indicating  they  knew  who  was  mistress  there. 
On  parting,  Gavin  promised  faithfully  to  return 
the  next  day. 

Gavin  expected  to  be  met  with  many  urgings 
from  St.  Arnaud  and  Madame  Ziska  and  Count 
Kalenga  to  be  more  conciliatory  to  his  father,  but 
they  wisely  said  nothing.  Every  day  Gavin  went 
to  see  his  mother,  and  every  day,  when  he  saw  her 
the  acknowledged  mistress  of  his  father's  house, 
it  seemed  as  if  his  hatred  to  Sir  Gavin  was  abat- 
ing little  by  little.  On  the  third  day  he  met  Sir 
Gavin  as  he  was  about  to  go  out  in  his  coach,  and 
heard  him  say : 

"  Make  my  compliments  to  Lady  Hamilton,  and 
ask  for  the  honour  of  her  company  to  drive." 
306 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

The  footman  disappeared  and  returned. 

"  Lady  Hamilton  sends  her  compliments,  and 
regrets  she  cannot  accept  Sir  Gavin's  invitation. 
She  is  expecting  Lieutenant  Hamilton." 

Sir  Gavin  looked  so  cross  and  surprised  that 
Gavin  could  not  restrain  a  grin — he  had  never  been 
able  to  smile  at  anything  his  father  did  before. 

All  this  had  riot  been  unknown  in  Vienna  so- 
ciety, and  curiosity  was  at  the  highest  pitch  the 
night  of  the  royal  levee,  when  the  strangely  recon- 
ciled couple  were  to  appear  for  the  first  time  in 
public.  Gavin  and  St.  Arnaud  were  to  be  pres- 
ent— their  first  appearance  after  the  campaign  in 
which  both  had  distinguished  themselves.  On  the 
next  day  both  were  to  return  to  their  command  at 
Olmutz.  As  they  rolled  along  in  a  hired  coach 
toward  the  royal  palace  St.  Arnaud  said : 

"  How  happy  you  should  be !  How  I  envy 
you!" 

Gavin  was  surprised  at  this.  St.  Arnaud  was 
always  cheerful,  even  gay,  self-contained,  and  Gav- 
in had  thought  a  very  happy  man. 

"  Why  should  I  not  envy  you  ?  Compare  your 
youth  with  mine." 

"  True.  But  I  have  no  one  in  the  world  to  love 
or  to  love  me.  I  have  neither  father  nor  mother 
307 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTUKES 

nor  brother  nor  sister.  One  day  I  will  tell  you 
some  things  that  may  make  you  pity  me." 

Gavin  was  again  surprised,  but  more  wounded 
than  surprised.  He  loved  St.  Arnaud  with  the  de- 
voted affection  of  his  nature,  full  of  enthusiasm, 
and  without  having  lost  a  single  illusion;  and  to 
have  St.  Arnaud  speak  of  himself  as  unloved  and 
unloving  cut  him  to  the  heart.  He  said  nothing, 
and  St.  Arnaud's  next  words  reassured  him. 

"  That  meeting  in  the  snow  was  as  fortunate 
for  me  as  it  was  for  you;  it  gave  me  interests, 
affections;  for  what  I  said  just  now  meant  that 
I  was  cut  off  from  those  natural  ties  that  give  life 
most  of  its  charm.  I  have  many  comrades — what 
are  called  friends — ^but,  except  yourself,  there  is 
not  one  who  feels  very  near  to  me.  I  do  not  know 
why  it  is  so.  I  was  ever  ready  to  make  friends,  but 
I  only  know  that  you  are  the  one  person  who  knows 
my  inmost  thoughts,  the  one  person  to  whom  I 
can  ever  tell  the  story  of  my  life." 

"  Well,  then,  tell  it  to  me  whenever  you  like," 
cried  Gavin  joyously.  "  And  all  I  can  say  is,  if 
you  have  an  enemy,  let  him  beware  of  me !  " 

The  levee  was  exceptionally  brilliant,  and  the 
event  of  the  evening  was  undoubtedly  the  ap- 
pearance together  of  Sir  Gavin  and  Lady  Ham- 
308 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

ilton.  Gavin,  in  a  fever  of  excitement,  pride,  joy, 
triumph,  and  nervousness,  waited  to  see  them  en- 
ter the  grand  saloon  where  the  Empress  Queen  and 
Emperor  received.  Presently  they  were  seen  ad- 
vancing— Lady  Hamilton  radiant  in  the  beauty  of 
her  youth,  which  seemed  to  have  returned  to  her, 
and  Sir  Gavin  as  cool  and  unconcerned  as  if  a  rec- 
onciliation with  his  wife  were  no  more  than  re- 
joining her  after  a  journey.  Prince  Kaunitz  re- 
marked confidentially  to  his  intimate,  the  French 
ambassador : 

"  What  a  loss,  monsieur,  to  diplomacy  is  Sir 
Gavin  Hamilton !  Observe  his  composure,  and  see 
how  he  outwits  all  of  his  enemies  by  doing  the 
unexpected  thing  in  the  unexpected  manner.  I 
understand  he  made  no  move  to  keep  Lady  Hamil- 
ton with  him  permanently  until  she  informed  him 
she  should  leave  his  house  immediately  he  per- 
formed this  act  of  restitution;  but  as  soon  as  he 
found  that  out,  he  has  been  using  all  his  endeavours 
to  make  her  stay.  If  she  remains  with  him,  she 
can  make  her  position  entirely  secure  and  agreeable 
by  occasionally  offering  to  leave  him.  The  rule  of 
Sir  Gavin  Hamilton's  life  is  the  rule  of  con- 
trary." 

By  St.  Arnaud's  artful  manoeuvring,  Gavin 
309 


THE  LIVELY  ADVENTURES 

found  himself  directly  behind  his  father  and 
mother  when  they  made  their  obeisance  to  royalty. 
The  Empress  Queen,  who  knew  the  circumstances 
perfectly  well,  was  peculiarly  gracious  to  Lady 
Hamilton,  as  was  the  Emperor. 

"  Permit  me  to  congratulate  you  upon  your  son. 
Lieutenant  Hamilton,''  she  said,  with  her  charm- 
ing smile  and  an  air  of  imperial  grace.  "  Gen- 
eral Loudon  has  spoken  of  him  to  the  Emperor  and 
myself  with  great  praise.  It  is  to  such  young  of- 
ficers as  he  that  we  look  for  our  safety  and  that  of 
our  children." 

"  My  son  ever  considers  it  an  honour  to  servo 
your  Majesties,"  was  Lady  Hamilton's  reply ;  and 
behind  her  was  Gavin,  blushing,  confused,  only  half 
hearing  the  Empress  Queen's  kind  words  to  him, 
but  wholly  happy. 

At  midnight,  under  a  brilliant  moon,  Gavin  and 
St.  Arnaud  stood  together  in  the  silent  street  be- 
fore Sir  Gavin  Hamilton's  splendid  house.  The 
great  door  was  slightly  ajar,  and  occasionally  Lady 
Hamilton's  figure  passed  in  front  of  it. 

"  Go  in,"  said  St.  Arnaud,  in  a  quiet,  deter- 
mined voice.  "  Your  father  has  asked  you ;  your 
mother  pleaded  with  you  with  her  eyes.  This  is 
the  turning-point.  Go  in  for  your  mother's  sake." 
310 


OF  GAVIN  HAMILTON 

"  Yes — for  her  sake,"  said  Gavin  after  a  mo- 
ment. In  that  moment  he  had  lived  through  the 
hardest  struggle  of  his  life. 

St.  Arnaud  walked  home  alone — and  for  the  first 
time  Gavin  Hamilton  slept  under  his  father's  roof. 


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